Diary of a Retired Parson

Christopher Lewis Jenkins welcomes a resurgence of Remembrance

The photo is of me officiating at a Remembrance service in Freshwater West in Pembrokeshire. I remember one such service where the weather was so bad that I was fighting against the wind as I stood on the clifftop and was practically diagonal.

Whilst there looking out to sea, I recalled my time as a Merchant seaman, sailing the seven seas, sometimes in very severe weather and thinking about those who sailed in the Atlantic convoys up to Russia and docking in Murmansk, somewhere where I also had been.

It's quite sobering thinking about those who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom. But it's not just the Royal and Merchant navy personnel; those men and women of the RAF and the Army also fought.

I'm always so pleased to see that these services are becoming more popular and well supported, not only by the older population but with more youngsters joining in.

They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we WILL remember them.

And when you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow we gave our today.