No, this is not to do with the Seventeenth Century, but this is Remembrance Day, and an important annual remembrance of fallen heroes.

I support the troops, and honour them, past and present. I volunteered at a nursing home for thirteen years since I was ten and I met many men who fought in the Second World War, who told me their stories, and the stories of their fathers and uncles who had fought in the First World War.

If it were not for the sacrifices of our ancestors, we would certainly not be enjoying the freedom we have now. We mustn’t abuse our freedoms, and take them for granted. Therefore, in honour of those who fought and died, please spare two minutes of your time today at eleven in the morning and think on them.

“In Flanders fields the poppies blow
      Between the crosses, row on row,
   That mark our place; and in the sky
   The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
   Loved and were loved, and now we lie
         In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
   The torch; be yours to hold it high.
   If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
         In Flanders fields.”

– Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae