Nov
11
I find Remembrance Day to be fiendishly complicated. It’s difficult for those who don’t support a particular conflict. I am sometimes concerned that by combining the symbolic act of wearing a poppy – and the events being co-ordinated by the Royal British Legion – the conflation ofremembrance, charitable fundraising and the armed forces deters some people from paying their respects.
And Remembrance Day in Britain has a focus on those lives that were lost, sometimes obscuring the many thousands who were injured, or fought and remain healthy, and we need to remember their sacrifices too.
On a practical level, I suspect that we do not do enough as a country to support our armed service personnel and their families.
I also worry that by focussing on Remembrance Day, although a successful fundraising operation, the British Legion doesn’t receive enough sustainable giving.
And for all I enjoy a bit of symbolism, I’m concerned that in some years, our national act of rememberance is neatly confined to a single day, or week, when it should be a much more frequent exercise in saying thank you to those who had the courage to stand up and fight, do what they were told, and safeguard the freedoms that make Britain a prosperous and vibrant nation.
But all of that over-thinking doesn’t obscure some very basic, fundamental issues which mean that as complicated as Remembrance Day may be, it is simply the right thing to do.