Today was Remembrance Sunday in the UK. When I lived there I would watch the BBC coverage of the National Ceremony at the Cenotaph in London and every year the Queen and various members of the Royal Family would be there to lay wreaths. I think that continuity, that constant presence at these events is one of the most valuable things about the Royal Family. I've lived in the US for so long now I haven't been able to watch the ceremony for years and I miss those Remembrance services but thanks to YouTube I was able to see some of this years coverage.
This piece really brings home the reality of the loss of each individual Serviceman or woman.
These are some of the constants that I remember from every year's ceremony, Big Ben, the Cenotaph, the two minute silence and the laying of the wreaths. This is from this year's Remembrance service at the Albert Hall. A song made famous by Dame Vera Lynn - the "Forces Sweetheart" and also, much to my mother's annoyance, one of my Dad's favorites. That is Dame Vera at the end waving to the audience. I couldn't find any footage from this year, but this is last year at the Albert Hall as the poppy petals rain softly down, so, so many. Each one representing the lost life of one of the fallen.