Richard Westley (Choir House, 1972-1981)
The Remembrance Day address - 2009
Col Richard Westley Ch 72-81
'Headmaster, Members of Staff, Ladies and Gentlemen, Friends.
I remember. I remember sitting where you are now sitting, nearly 30 years ago, and trying to make sense of the whole concept of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month and what it meant to my Grandfather's generation. Of course I had read many accounts of the actions, heroism, butchery and courage that became synonymous with places like Ypres, the Somme, Passchendaele and Gallipoli. Works by David Jones, Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves covered all this but it hadn't really touched me.
The fact that, since 1969, there had been just one year in which a British soldier had not been killed escaped my knowledge bank. Small or secret conflicts: Aden, Malaya, Radfan, Oman, Suez, Kenya, Borneo. Larger interventions: Korea, Northern Ireland, the Falklands only flashed up on the "Westley screen" on rare occasions. They hadn't really touched me.
But for your generation this has changed. Unlike the ''class of 81'', you are more aware. The media has ensured that you are well informed of the progress of operations, if not hour by hour then at least day by day.
Many of you may know people serving in the Armed Forces who have fought in Afghanistan and Iraq. Some of you may go on to serve there in years to come. All of you will have an opinion as to why we, the British Army, are entrenched in so bitter a struggle with Taliban insurgents in Southern Afghanistan, whether you believe we can succeed and at what cost.
You will be making up your mind if intervention in Central Asia was worthwhile and whether you buy in to the idea that by fighting the Taliban 'at reach' is really making the streets of London, Birmingham and Manchester safer for you. For what it is worth I do buy into it and why I do what I do.
And I urge you to keep thinking, questioning and debating these issues. They are not going away in the next 20 years and they will have an effect on your generation. And, as importantly, my grandfather's generation fought so that we could all enjoy the sort of freedom we have today to question and criticise our Government's decisions openly, without fear of reprisal or repression.
A rather downbeat individual called George Orwell once wrote:
''We sleep peaceably at night because rough men stand ready to do violence on our behalf''.
It is, I think, those rough men (I hesitate to use the term rough women!) that today is all about. Those that have, over the years, turned to, put aside their own personal interests and gone off to risk life and limb so that we can pursue our own goals and enjoy our freedom.
I was struck, at the funeral of Pte Robbie Laws (KIA in August this year) by the age of many of the congregation. Robbie was 18 when he was killed by a rocket propelled grenade and a third of the church in Bromsgrove was filled with his erstwhile school mates. It has touched them.
In 2007 I took my battle group to Helmand to try to effect some stability and reconstruction in a town called Gereshk. In order to achieve that effect and install some form of governance, economic growth and security we had to fight insurgents on a daily basis. 11 members of my battle group were killed in action, over 20 wounded (many with life changing injuries). Drawn mainly from Worcester, Nottingham and Derby, those casualties were felt deeply in those cities and towns around them. The funerals were well attended- my Regimental Sergeant Major's funeral had over 2,000 in or around Chester Cathedral. That's a lot of people touched by the conflict.
What do they want, these rough men? Certainly not pity! They know what they do, why they do it and how to do it best. They accept the risk on a daily basis. They embrace uncertainty, adventure and the ultimate challenge. They understand that, in the eyes of some, Iraq was a deeply unpopular war and that public support for operations in Afghanistan may be waning. But they still go out and take risk on our behalf.
They want our respect. They want people to understand that they are doing it for their country. They do believe that if we can secure Afghanistan, make the Afghans take responsibility for their own region and prevent Al Qua-ida from returning to Afghanistan and launching attacks against CONUS and Europe, they are protecting their friends and family.
And so, what is my point here today? Our friends are bleeding on our behalf. I train every soldier and Royal Marine that deploys to Afghanistan. At my opening brief to these rough men I cast my eyes over their faces wondering which ones will not make the trip home. Of course it has touched me - deeply. I think your generation will also be touched significantly by the nature of current and future operations. And that really is what today is about; sparing a couple of minutes of our busy lives to remember those who have touched us and have fallen for us. So I am back to my opening words. I remember. I remember my absent friends.'