We must never forget those who paid the ultimate price
with Deputy Editor Chris Lever
“THEY SHALL grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.”
English poet Laurence Binyon composed his poignant work, The Fallen, in mid September 1914, a few weeks after the outbreak of the First World War.
The Great War, the war to end all wars, lasted four more years and saw millions of military and civillan casualties.
These words have become especially familiar adopted by the
Royal British Legion as an Exhortation for ceremonies of Remembrance to commemorate fallen servicemen and women.
As the ‘Last Post’ sounds out at the many services in Calderdale this Sunday paying tribute to the fallen, it’s a solumn reminder of people who gave their lives in conflicts past and present. And to those who survived the horrors of war and families left behind a reminder that their sacrifice should never be forgotten.
My late father Dennis served in Royal Navy in World War 2 and saw action in Europe and the Far East. His ship was shelled and a crew mate killed. He turned 21 just two days after D-Day.
He didn’t speak much about the war but the experience left a lasting impression. He wore his medals, silent and head bowed, at Remembrance services each year, paying his respects. I have his medals now and they will be passed to my kids in his memory. We must never forget.