Remember the living when you honour the dead

THIS morning vast swathes of the nation, proudly wearing their poppies, will gather in silence to mark the Armistice. But today is about much more than the dead of long-past wars. So when I pin my poppy next to my medals this morning and observe the silence, I will be remembering the sacrifices made in conflicts old and new.

- John Nichol

Young people from Scotty's Little Soldiers and their families march past Cenotaph

But is that poppy - and remembrance - still relevant in today's modern world? "In Flanders fields the poppies blow". So began the poem written by army doctor John McCrea as he surveyed the battlefields of northern France in 1915.

After some of the bloodiest fighting of the war, the area around Flanders lay devastated, all signs of life extinguished. Yet amidst the dead and the sea of mud a single red poppy flowered, bringing life, colour and hope to the battlefield. McCrea's image of that poppy would become the national symbol of remembrance.

But while we remember the dead, we must also remember the living who need our help and care. And not just those from the two World Wars; since 1945 our military has been involved in countless conflicts across the globe.

From the jungles of Borneo, to the deserts of Iraq, the back alleys of Afghanistan and many, many other - sometimes more secret - locations, our armed forces are constantly on operations somewhere around the world. So our young men and women continue to put their lives at risk today.