Member News
By Viscount Younger of Leckie - 10th November 2011
Viscount Younger of Leckie draws attention to the progress made for war widows and in remembering the sacrifice that fallen soldiers have given the UK ahead of a short debate today in the House of Lords.
Every year we all cherish bank holidays, allowing us a break from the usual routine. These days, whether Christmas, Easter or the May Bank Holiday, have meaning for people to varying degrees. However, I believe that Remembrance Day, for which a public holiday is not given, is held in the public conscience with increasing poignancy.
The services, the marches, the flags and the silences are the annual reminder of the debt that we owe those who have had their lives cut short in service of our country. 2011 will be no different but, like shifting sands, the focus is changing: from the emphasis on the world wars to recent conflicts. Afghanistan and the Wootton Bassett corteges are a reflection of this.
And in 2011 the spotlight has fallen on the War Widows Association which, back in June, commemorated the 40th year of its foundation. This proud and resilient group of women, and a few men, number over 30,000 in the UK, each harbouring a tragic personal story of loss. This is likely to have resulted from a conflict but also possibly friendly fire or a training accident.
It is to their credit that the widows have fought and won the right to a tax-free pension. The Association now seeks to increase membership once a data protection 'firewall' is breached. There is a group of over 4,000 widows whose bereavements fell post-1973 and pre 1975, when the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme was introduced, who will lose their pension if they remarry or co-habit. This is an anomaly which needs rectifying.
There is much progress to report in remembering the fallen, with positive action this year. The Armed Forces Covenant introduced a plan in May for a new bond, with formal monitoring, to be forged between the armed forces, communities and local authorities. Educationally, a greater emphasis is being placed on the importance of teaching history in schools as a reminder of the reasons behind the sacrifices. It has been suggested that schools take ownership of their local war memorial which would serve to highlight the stories for communities behind the names hewn into stone in bold black letters.
Thursday's debate in the Lords on remembering the fallen is timely.
James Younger is a former recruitment consultant and is a hereditary peer. He sits on the Conservative benches.
Dods Parliamentary Communications Ltd