Comment: Honouring Chichester's Veterans on Remembrance Sunday

This year, I commemorated Remembrance Sunday with the veterans and residents of East Wittering, with a representative laying a wreath on my behalf at the Chichester and Selsey services. It is always an honour at this time of year to recognise and remember our veterans and service personnel who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation.

East Wittering is known as a ‘thankful village’, a term given to villages that lost no men in combat during the First World War. All those who went to serve returned home. In an October 2013 update, 52 villages and parishes were identified as thankful villages out of tens of thousands of towns and villages across the United Kingdom. East Wittering, however, was the only village in the whole of Sussex not to have lost lives during the war.

Laying a poppy wreath at East Witterings War Memorial

Chichester and the surrounding area played a significant role in both World Wars. In the First World War, it was home to the headquarters of the Royal Sussex Regiment and served as a place of healing, with Graylingwell Psychiatric Hospital requisitioned as a military hospital to support those returning from the Western Front. During the Second World War, Chichester was crucial to the planning and execution of D-Day, with multiple sites across the local area used in preparations. The area also housed a number of airfields that proved vital during the Battle of Britain.

Last week, I joined some Royal Sussex Regiment veterans, residents of Lakeview Grange care home and students from Chichester High School for a moving video tribute to the fallen veterans of the Chichester area.

I was particularly moved to see so many young people at the service in East Wittering, including members of the local Guiding and Scouting associations. Reminding our young people of the sacrifices so many made for us is an important part of Remembrance Sunday, and I am grateful to all education providers and veterans’ charities who keep those stories alive.

Remembrance Day is always a moment of personal reflection for me, as I remember my good friend David O’Connor, who was killed in action in Afghanistan in 2012. Fourteen years on from his death, I find myself in a position where I can keep his memory alive and share his story with those I meet, many of whom are also missing loved ones and remembering family members who served.

I pay tribute to all those who serve and thank everyone who continues this vital tradition of remembrance throughout Chichester and across the country. It is all our responsibility to ensure that the lives sacrificed are never forgotten. If you’d like to learn more about Chichester’s service personnel and our role in the World Wars, I highly recommend a visit to Tangmere Aviation Museum!