TODAY we come together as a nation.
The Last Post will sound at the Cenotaph in Whitehall and at memorials across the United Kingdom.
We will not only fall silent at 11am in this country. In Kabul, in Iraq, in Cyprus, in the Falklands, our troops will bow their heads and remember.
This great act of remembrance matters.
First, it’s honouring the past service and sacrifice of Britain’s bravest.
A century on from the Great War and the fateful Gallipoli campaign we recall, for example, the extraordinary bravery of the Lancashire Fusiliers, six of whom famously won their Victoria Crosses “before breakfast”.
And 75 years after the Battle of Britain we also pay tribute to “The Few”. I’ve had the privilege of meeting RAF pilots Ken Wilkinson and Tony Pickering, who took part in that conflict.
Despite being barely out of their teens at the time, they never wavered.
Ken told me: “We just didn’t envisage defeat.”
On Remembrance Day we also remember more recent campaigns such as those fought in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Earlier this year, L/Cpl Josh Leakey won the Victoria Cross for single-handedly taking on Taliban fighters, turning the tide against his attackers and rescuing a US Marine.
He was one of more than 200,000 British military and civilian personnel to take part in those campaigns.
Today we pay tribute to all those soldiers, sailors and pilots for their countless acts of courage — helping those fragile democracies and protecting Britain from terror attacks.
Second, Remembrance is about honouring those who keep our country safe today.
In the face of global terror, state aggression and mass migration, our brave servicemen and women are working harder than ever.
In Iraq, they are targeting Islamic State (IS) terrorists and providing our coalition allies with vital surveillance and intelligence.
In the Baltic and Ukraine, they are helping to counter Russian aggression.
Beneath the oceans, our submariners man our nuclear deterrent every day — the ultimate guarantee of our security.
Our forces are often out of sight but they are never out of mind. They are working round the world, round the clock, on 21 operations in 19 countries to promote our security and prosperity.
They are the best of British.
Finally, Remembrance Day does not just remind us to value our past and our present — it tells us to prepare for the future.
Britain is rightly proud of our great values — freedom of speech, tolerance, rule of law, parliamentary democracy.
They have made us a beacon for freedom around the world. Yet in every generation we’ve had to fight to preserve those ideals.
In a more dangerous world, our Royal Navy, Army and Air Force will always need to stand up to aggression. Our future depends on brave people doing great deeds to defend our isles.
So we must keep turning to the past to inspire our future. Last year millions queued to see ceramic poppies cascade from the Tower of London.
That display reconnected us to the people behind the poppies. It reminded us of the stories of families and communities who gave all they had for this country.
Their legacy is our freedom. So let’s use this Remembrance Day to reflect on what our Armed Forces have done, what they are doing and what they will do for our country.
And let’s do everything in our power to serve those who serve us, so that together we keep the flame of freedom burning far into the future.
This great day of Cenotaph silence is no celebration of war.
It’s a bugle call to keep fighting for the peace we cherish.
Poppy as symbol of our unity
THE poppy is a symbol to unite all Britons, whatever their religion, a senior Muslim leader has said.
Asim Hafiz, Imam for the Armed Forces Muslim Association, said: “The Poppy Appeal celebrates the selfless sacrifice of all our ancestors, who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice in defence of our nation.
“It does not belong to any group — it belongs to all of us and should be celebrated by everyone.”
Mr Hafiz, Islamic adviser to the British Armed Forces, added: “The poppy is a symbol we all can unite behind as it brings us together as a community and unites us against ideologies that want to divide us.
“The First and Second World War were exactly that, a fight for survival against ideologies that wanted to divide us.
“With the continued presence of Islamic State (IS), now more than ever we need to stand together and celebrate our bonds.”