This Sunday - Remembrance Sunday, I will join the congregation at St. Alphege Church to pay my respects to all those who have made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. Remembrance Sunday is a day of mixed emotions. Sadness at the thought of so many lives lost in so many wars across the decades and centuries. Admiration for the bravery and selflessness of those people who laid down their lives to defend their families, their country, and their freedom. Pride at the sight of the crowds, people of all ages coming out on cold November mornings to show their gratitude and respect. Each year as I attend events across Solihull I am heartened by the solemnity and strong sense of community with which we commemorate this most important of occasions. There will be Remembrance events taking place across the borough on Sunday, details (including road closures) are available here.
Wars in the Middle East and Ukraine are dominating the news, so conflict can never be far from our minds now. Remembrance Sunday, whilst naturally focusing on those who have died fighting for this country, is also an opportunity to think of all those suffering now around the world. A time to think of the people, the humanity behind the numbers of dead thrown up as breaking news on the ticker at the bottom of our TV screens. It is a time to hope for respite from the horrors of war and for lasting peace and understanding between the peoples of the world.
I’ve seen some very touching tributes this year including artwork, knitted post box cosies, and displays in businesses, public places, and outside people’s homes. I think it goes to show the depth of feeling around Armistice Day, and what it means to our residents and people all across this country. That they will take the time and effort to put something meaningful together to demonstrate their own feelings of respect, and to honour the glorious dead.
“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”
Councillor Ian Courts