Don’t forget huge sacrifices made by the living

ON THE 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the world once again stopped to remember the debt we owe the fallen.

That familiar quiet dignity of soldiers at memorials across the country carried added poignancy on the centenary of that very first Armistice Day.

In towns and cities across the land, communities came together to pause, reflect and remember.

The sight of so many – young and old – lined up to pay their respects was a truly humbling spectacle to behold.

The military carnage of the Great War was supposed to ensure that it would be “the war to end all wars” – but 100 years later, we know that even bloodier slaughters followed in its wake.

More than 12,000 British servicemen and women have been killed or injured on active service since 1945.

And in today’s politically volatile world, the peace yearned for in 1918 feels just as fragile as ever.

The freedoms the heroes of the Somme, Verdun and Gallipoli fought for are often taken for granted.

Now, perhaps more than ever, it is vital to remember that democracy is not a given and tyranny can flourish anywhere.

That is why our Armed Forces personnel are still putting themselves in harm’s way every day.

Veterans still return from conflicts in dangerous parts of the world and they still need help and support.

Many of them live with the legacy of war, be it physical or psychological wounds.

Writing in these pages today, veterans minister Graeme Dey pays tribute to the Record’s campaign to improve the treatment of these heroes. He refers to our recent reports on the scourge of suicide among those who have served overseas.

The Commons’ defence committee have found the number of Armed Forces personnel seeking help for mental health issues has doubled since 2008.

Far too many veterans have felt so neglected that they decided taking their own life was the only option left to them. That is shameful. There are many charities who help brave servicemen and women struggling in the aftermath of conflict. We encourage all readers who can afford to do so to support this brilliant cause.

But ultimately it is the responsibility of the Government to ensure veterans are properly looked after.

You can tell a lot about a country by the way it honours its war dead. Yesterday, as ever, Scotland did the fallen proud.

The challenge is to ensure that we also treat the living with the respect and dignity they deserve.

Their sacrifices deserve to be remembered as well – and be the focus of more than just one day a year. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.