RAF veteran in the East sends mental health message for Remembrance Sunday
Services are taking place across the UK, including the East of England
Last updated 12th Nov 2023
A Royal Air Force (RAF) veteran from Cambridgeshire says those who suffered with mental health issues after serving in the forces must also be remembered today.
People across the county will fall silent to remember those who have lost their lives during conflict.
Research by YouGov into mental health and suicide in adults and the armed forces community in Great Britain found in July last year, more than a third of veterans struggled with their mental health on a daily basis.
A report by the Ministry of Defence published this year found between 2003 and 2022, 287 armed forces personnel took their own lives.
Gav Fielding served in the RAF fire service for 16 years, including two years in Afghanistan and one year in Iraq:
"Sadly we've lost people through taking their own lives from mental health, so this day is an opportunity to show respect to them and say thank you to those who gave the ultimate sacrifice," he said.
"We have what we've got because of what they gave so I think it's massively important to show that respect because without them, who knows where we would have been."
What is happening on Remembrance Sunday?
The UK will fall silent this morning as the country marks Remembrance Sunday.
At 11am today (12th November) a two-minute silence will be observed to remember those who have died in military conflicts.
The National Service of Remembrance will be held at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London while many local services will be held across the country.
Similar to Armistice Day, two minutes silence will be observed at 11:00 between two bugle calls, 'The Last Post and 'The Reveille.'
Following the two-minute silence the King is expected to be the first to lay a wreath on behalf of the nation.
There will be parades from veterans, various military groups, charities, marching bands and members of the public.
Why do people wear poppies on Remembrance Day?
The symbol of the poppy dates all the way back to the First World War as they grew on the battlefields of the Western Front in Europe.
After the death of his friend in Ypres, Belgium in 1915, Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was inspired by the sight of poppies growing in fields.
Amazed by the war memorial he proceeded to write the now-famous poem 'In Flanders Fields'.
Britain began to use the poppy symbol shortly after the war in 1921 when the Royal British Legion was formed.
World War One timeline
28 June 1914: Archduke Francis Ferdinand is assassinated. Austria-Hungary declares war on Serbia, beginning World War I
2-7 August 1914: British forces arrive in France
6-12 September 1914: The First Battle of the Marne. 13,000 British casualties with 1,700 dead. 67,700 Germans dead
5 November 1914: Britain and France declare war on the Ottoman Empire
17 July 1915: Women demonstrate the right to work in war industries
1 July 1916 - 18 November 1916: Battle of the Somme. 420,00 British casualties. 1,499,000 casualties overall.
6 April 1917: The United States declares war on Germany
20 November 1917: First large-scale use of tanks in combat at Cambrai, France
11 November 1918: Germany signs the Armistice at Compiègne, ending World War I.