In those four terrible years, millions of lives were cut short.
Not for them the chance to marry their sweethearts, live in a home of their own and build a family.
We must forever remember those soldiers, drawn from all countries and all religions across the Empire, and the sacrifices they made. But we must also remember the countless others who have walked in their footsteps, from Dunkirk to Helmand.
There will be some who say that every life lost in war has been in vain.
We respectfully disagree.
War is awful — but the values the Tommies fought for in World War I, for liberal democracy and freedom, have been under constant attack in the hundred years since. They are worth protecting. Every
British serviceman has fought in the name of those principles.
We owe each and every one of them an eternal debt.
And their families — forever dreading a phone call they hope will never come — deserve our quiet appreciation, too.
Today is a day for commemoration and, with the German president laying a wreath at the Cenotaph, also for reconciliation.
But it is also a day for respect.
To those who serve and have served – we salute you.
Blunt the blades
TAKING back control of our streets will require a genuinely joined up approach across police and government.
So Met Commissioner Cressida Dick and Home Secretary Sajid Javid MUST work together.
Their photo op yesterday won’t change much, but it is a start to repairing a relationship that if it has broken down would hamstring any efforts to solve the violent crime epidemic.
As for the missing-in-action Mayor of London? It’s time for a strategy that takes in the views of former gang members, youth workers and experts.
We must beat the blades.
A true hero honoured
THE permanent memorial to PC Keith Palmer, in the Parliament he died to protect, is a fitting tribute to the best of British.
We’re delighted to have played a part in ensuring his memory is given the respect it deserves.
It’s the least he and his family deserve.
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