Military knowhow

How to mark Armed Forces Day

THIS COUNTRY’S enduring – and growing – respect for past and present members of the military can be measured by the extent to which Armed Forces Day has grown in stature since its inception in 2006.

Now a national celebration, it explains why there was so much pride when it was announced that Scarborough would host this year’s parade and then disappointment when the event had to be put back until 2021 due to Covid-19.

Currently 3,000 schoolaged children – five per cent of North Yorkshire’s school population – live across 12 military bases within the county, most notably Catterick Garrison.

But this should not stop people from reflecting about the work Armed Forces this weekend, paying silent tribute to the fallen and also expressing thanks for the peacetime role of the Army, RAF and Royal Navy.

After all, these are the service personnel whose deployment to flood-stricken Yorkshire communities in the past year provided so much reassurance to residents before they were asked to assist testing for Covid-19.

And while national security is their number one priority, it is to be hoped that Ben Wallace, the current Defence Secretary and one of the more quietly effective Ministers, becomes more willing to use the Armed Forces in this role in the future when necessary.

For, when it comes to the logistics of building makeshift flood defences or overseeing the construction of a Nightingale Hospital in Harrogate worthy of the name Captain Tom Moore, one of the great heroes of this year, the military not only know how to get on the job, but they are trusted by the public to do so.