Remembering the fallen

The poppy is the unique symbol to show we remember

Tomorrow is the 11^th November – Remembrance Sunday and a day of poignancy for many families.

Not only do we remember those who lost their lives in World War I and World War II, but also honour the fallen from conflicts around the world and also salute our current troops, who are still doing a magnificent job in such difficult circumstances in Afghanistan.

When the news comes on and you hear of a soldier losing their life in Afghanistan, the initial reaction could be the waste of a life but they do their duty for Britain and they are the real heroes of this country.

It isn’t the singers who really can’t sing or the multi millionaire footballers or the talented actors, it is those who are less fortunate.

I hope tomorrow that people will stop and think how fortunate we really are and if some elect not to participate in the traditional two minute silence at 11am, then it is disrespectful and very disappointing.

I hope one day we can bring our troops home, sooner rather than later to be honest but we must admire their courage, their determination and sadly often, paying the ultimate sacrifice.

Some don’t elect to wear the poppy and that’s fair enough – especially if you can’t hold them on your clothing thanks to the useless pin (it's happened to me too much) but at 11am, I think we should all stop, think and pay tribute to the many hundreds, even thousands who have been on duty throughout history, whether that be in WWI, WWII, Iraq, Vietnam, the Falklands, Afghanistan etc.

Below is a short poem I have written in tribute to tomorrow and what the day brings.  It is called ‘Remembering the Fallen.’

The time has come

The clock has struck eleven once more

It is November 11^th – some won’t ever make it home

The country falls into deep silence

It is a time for reflection, a time for pride

A time to remember the soldiers’ big stride

There will be tears wiped off many cheeks

Far too often a life cut short, a future not seeked

We must never forget the bravery always shown

The courage to continue and fight for the crown

Every single individual in the army has grown

It is a time where petulance is swapped for dedication

Remember the fallen

Remember the fallen

They have it much tougher than what we do

A lot of us are lucky with what we have available to loan

For two minutes, we urge you to hush

The time for talking stops from behind the bush

Every family who has lost a loved one is crushed

This is a silence that shouldn’t be rushed

The poppy is worn to show we remember you

They may be gone but they won’t be forgotten

Thank you for continuing to battle on

You deserve this day of remembrance

Some hold their thoughts in the time

This is no time to sing or mime

Nor a time to think of a humorous rhyme

Stop and think how difficult it is for others

Our country depends on our fallen stars

They really are the real heroes within the earth

Tomorrow is a chance to remember the fallen

Remembering the fallen

Categories: Afghanistan, Britain, Family, Heroes, November, Poppy, Remembrance Sunday, Silence, World War I, World War II

Megan, John and Lewis - A week in the headlines

Most news bulletins are dominated nowadays by political anger, conflict in the Middle East and our brave soldiers who continue to fight a battle in Afghanistan that gets grimmer with every passing week.

That changed this week as the stories were lead by the disappearance of 15-year-old schoolgirl Megan Stammers from Eastbourne.

She had been reported missing after eloping away from the country with one of her schoolteachers, Jeremy Forrest.

Sussex police worked very hard with counterparts across Europe to find the pair, while her devastated family members made heart-warming appeals for Megan to come home.

CCTV pictures were released of the couple boarding a ferry hand-in-hand and it ended in relief on Friday afternoon, when French police found them in Bordeaux.

Maths teacher Forrest has been arrested by police in France on suspicion of child abduction and made a brief court appearance in the country.  He is due back in court on Tuesday and is likely to be extradited to the UK shortly after that. 

If he is found guilty of not only that but having an indecent sexual relationship with a student then the law book is likely to be thrown at him and rightly so.

Yesterday, Megan boarded a plane to head home and will be reunited with her family soon. 

Although it will be difficult, I would hope the media allow her and the family to return to a normal life as they possibly can, fully away from the public spotlight.

Where’s the consistency?

Sport made the news on Thursday when the Football Association found former England skipper John Terry guilty of racially abusing QPR’s Anton Ferdinand.

Terry was charged by the FA earlier this summer, despite having been cleared by a court of law in July.

He has been handed a four game ban and a £220,000 fine.  A written statement is likely to be released this week and after that, Terry will have 14 days to appeal against the decision.

It is difficult to have much of a view on this case but what I will say is that the lack of consistency from the FA is startling.

Last season, Luis Suarez was banned for eight games after the Liverpool striker was found guilty of racially abusing Patrice Evra in a match against Manchester United.

The FA then banned Joey Barton for 12 games in the summer, after his disgraceful behaviour on the final day of last season as a QPR player.  Barton elbowed Carlos Tevez, and then head butted both Sergio Aguero and Vincent Kompany.

So why does Barton get 12, Suarez get 8 and Terry get 4?  Where’s the consistency?  It can’t be right!  For once, I agree with Barton’s reaction about the FA being clueless.

Also, it took 11 months to sort out – as the Terry/Ferdinand incident happened on October 23 last year.  While it is difficult to talk about the legalities without knowing the process, surely this could have been dealt with quicker.

A chequered career

Lastly on Friday morning, the Formula One world was stunned as Lewis Hamilton announced his decision to leave behind the McLaren team that has nurtured him since he was a young child.

Hamilton will move to Mercedes GP on a three-year deal for 2013 to partner Nico Rosberg.  This means that seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher has been booted out to make way for the Brit.

McLaren have reacted quickly and brought in the talented Mexican Sergio Perez as Jenson Button’s team-mate for next year.

Lewis Hamilton is taking a big gamble in moving to Mercedes

Hamilton has had a chequered career, which has brought him one world championship but that was back in 2008.  Since then, he has come close but not quite close enough.

Pitstop blunders, a lack of reliability and some costly accidents mean chances of winning the title in 2012 are now slim to nil.

Add in his feud with Felipe Massa last season, a management company that only is interested in money, his high maintenance relationship with X-Factor judge Nicole Scherzinger and ‘Twittergate’ when he published telemetry at Spa of secret McLaren data information and a move was on the cards.

While change is needed for all parties, McLaren have got one of the best young racers on the grid in Perez and as for Hamilton, I hope he enjoys midfield mediocrity because that is all Mercedes will provide him in the short-term.

Categories: Afghanistan, Bordeaux, CCTV, FA, John Terry, Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes, Middle East, Nicole Scherzinger, Politics, Sport, Sussex, Twitter