REMEMBRANCE SUNDAY

This time of the year the evenings draw in (“Winter drawers on missus!”); the clocks have changed; it’s Keats’ “season of mists and mellow fruitfulness” and it’s a time of remembering those who have died... We’ve had All Saints day; we’ve had All Souls Day; we’ve remember-remembered the fifth of November; today is Remembrance Sunday...

Today’s my birthday - I was born in 1965 - the year of Winston Churchill’s funeral - which of course means that I am (ahem) nearly 30 years old - so I was born well after both world wars were over, and indeed both my dad and father in law missed service in the second war but both did National Service. So for me, and I suspect my generation, the World Wars seem quite distant and “removed” events. I also suspect that we have garnered much of our information from the History Channel, from excellent documentaries such as Ian Hislop’s Not Forgotten, and of course: Blackadder...

In the 90 years since the “war to end all wars” finished and Remembrance Sunday was born, armed conflict still seems a constant and grim part of our landscape. The British Legion estimate that more than 12,000 British men & service women have lost their lives in conflict since 1945.

Of course (officially since 1980) Remembrance Sunday has been extended to include all those who have suffered and died in conflict in the service of their country and all those who mourn them, so it’s not just Blackadder & Baldrick’s generation, but those who are still suffering today. And that’s particularly pertinent in a week where the fate of the former leader of Iraq and our involvement in a deeply unpopular war has dominated the headlines.

The two minute silence which will happen at 11 o’clock, is one of the few things we do together as a Nation.

The silence is for remembering, for reflecting, for praying, for meditation, for taking stock.... We need to remember: as a nation and as individuals. Partly because remembering gives shape and meaning to those whose deaths were premature, or in pursuit of an ideal; but also so that we learn from the mistakes we as human beings seem so good at making. Poet and journalist Steve Turner once wrote “History repeats itself - it has to: nobody listens”. Mind he also wrote “These are the good old days - just wait and see...”

So Remembrance Sunday is a time of contemplation... It’s a time for reflection on lives lost and lamented - recently as well as years ago. Its a time for reflection on the ideals which shape our lives - as well as the ideals we build on, which were laid down by those whose tomorrows were given for our todays.

Fr Andrew Perry
Rector, St John the Evangelist, Pevensey Rd, St Leonards on Sea