Remembrance Day - what do you remember ?

Today is Remembrance Sunday. As I watched the service at the Cenotaph, I was unmoved by the annual ritual of the Queen, Prime Minister, other royals and politicians laying their wreaths. But when the war veterans marched past, I felt a lump in my throat. There are no British survivors of the First World War, the war that many hoped would be "the war to end all wars', but sadly was not. Harry Patch, the last British veteran of the 1914-18 war, died earlier this year at the age of 111. But there were still many survivors of the 1939-45 war, all of them very old, some in wheelchairs. And, of course, there were veterans of more recent wars. We all have our own personal feelings on Remembrance Day. I think of my father who, as a young man, spent six years of his life serving in the British army during the Second World War. And although I was only six when he died, I think of my grandfather who served in the First World War. And I think of more recent conflicts, too, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Remembrance Day I believe it is right to remember those who have died, been wounded and have served in wars. But we should never glorify war. Some people are pacifists who believe that war is wrong is all circumstances. My own view is that war can only be justified as a last resort. The cause must be just, all attempts at a peaceful solution must have failed, there must be a genuine belief that war will produce a better outcome than not fighting, and the war must be winnable. Sir Winston Churchill, our inspirational Prime Minister during the Second World War, still believed that diplomacy (or in the slang of the time 'jawing') was preferable to war. He said "Jaw jaw is preferable to war war". And that great American founding father, Benjamin Franklin said "There never was a good war or a bad peace". Let Remembrance Day be a time to learn from history and to resolve not to repeat the mistakes of the past. I hope it is not true that we will never learn.