It was a real honour to attend the Royal British Legion’s Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall on Saturday evening, writes Nick Craker, Cornwall councillor for Liskeard Central.

The event was attended by senior members of the Royal family, including the King, the Duke and Duchess of Cornwall, as well as the Prime Minister and others.

It’s impossible to not be inspired by the hundreds of veterans, young and old, also watching and taking part in the festival. A truly wonderful evening that makes me so proud of our country and its inspiring people.

The Royal Albert Hall in London was the location for the Royal British Legion Remembrance Festival which hosted veterans and military from around the UK. (Picture: Nick Craker)
The Royal Albert Hall in London was the location for the Royal British Legion Remembrance Festival which hosted veterans and military from around the UK. (Picture: Nick Craker) ( )

This year commemorated the 80th anniversary of D-Day and the liberation of Europe in the Second World War, as well as the other important and sometimes forgotten battles of Monte Cassino in Italy, and Imphal and Kohima in the Far East. The festival also paid tribute to those who served in Kosovo, twenty five years after the conflict there ended.

The most spectacular moment of all was the commemoration of the ten years since the end of British combat operations in Afghanistan. A war that took the lives of 457 UK personnel; the festival marked this with 457 roses, individually laid by a serving member of the armed forces.

The auditorium of the Royal Albert Hall in London is sprinkled with poppies for this year's Remembrance Festival. (Picture: Nick Craker)
The auditorium of the Royal Albert Hall in London is sprinkled with poppies for this year's Remembrance Festival. (Picture: Nick Craker) ( )

The quiet and steady march of 457 military personnel from one end of the Royal Albert Hall to the other, to lay their rose, was one of the most powerful and emotional acts of remembrance I have ever seen. Each rose representing a family, friend and loved one, of a life lost defending our country. It’s a conflict that ended only ten years ago and should always be remembered.

A point that brought a tear to my eye was hearing the stories of the military children, and the service children’s community choir. For those who serve in our armed forces, the strength of their family at home should not be understated.

I grew up in a military household and have a personal connection myself to the stories of the children and young people who have a parent serving in the UK armed forces.

These days there is so much more support and understanding of what it is to be a military child. Dealing with postings around the world and continued change relies on strong communities of support. It was incredibly wholesome to see the festival shine a spotlight on all those military children.