Brits must remember soldiers who died protecting Falklands, says Armed Forces Minister

Brits must remember the sacrifice of soldiers who died protecting the Falkland Islands, the Armed Forces Minister has said.

Writing for the Sunday Mirror, Luke Pollard revealed he had visited the Islands this week.

It comes as the King prepares to lead the UK in the annual two-minutes silence at the Cenotaph today.

King Charles will be joined by members of the royal family, Keir Starmer and senior politicians and faith leaders.

Around 10,000 members of the public are expected to line Whitehall in central London, to take part in the silence and watch the Royal British Legion’s veterans parade.

Defence Minister Al Carns, an Afghanistan veteran who completed his military service in May, will parade past the Cenotaph as part of the Royal Marines Association.

Mr Starmer said: “This weekend, we come together to honour those who laid down their lives to keep our country safe. The freedoms we enjoy today – our democracy, our values, our way of life – have been hard won over generations.

“We are forever in debt to those brave souls who fought to defend this country, and who made the ultimate sacrifice.

“We honour them today and always. We remember them today and always.

“And as we do, we also think of those who are serving our country now, often far away from home, putting themselves in harm’s way so that we may sleep soundly in our beds.

“It is that service, and the courage and sacrifice of so many over the generations, that brings the country together this weekend, in a spirit of the most profound gratitude and respect.”

2024 marks the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in the Second World War, the 25th anniversary of the end of the war in Kosovo, as well as the 75th anniversary of NATO and the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.

Next year will mark the 80th anniversaries of VE Day and the Allied victory in Europe and VJ Day, marking the end of the Second World War in the Far East.

‘ Sacrifice and service that secures our liberty, and way of life, continues to this day.’

By LUKE POLLARD, Armed Forces Minister

09.50, June 6, 1944. Normandy. Of the 14 iconic landing craft used to storm Gold Beach by the Royal Marines of 47 Commando on D-Day, 5 were sunk, and only 2 were fit to return.

Yet the Plymouth based Royal Marines were not the first to land on Gold Beach that pivotal morning – they were part of the third wave. Ahead of them, when the tall bow-ramps lowered and the bullets flew, it was also the sheer grit, courage, and determination of the soldiers of the Hampshire, Dorset and Devonshire regiments, and the sacrifices of their fallen, that established an allied foothold in Normandy, that would liberate Europe, and defeat Hitler.

On June 6, 2024, I joined thousands at Saltash Passage Memorial in Plymouth, to remember and thank all members of the British and allied forces who fought for our freedom 80 years ago, on land, sea and in the air.

As we come together around war memorials all over our United Kingdom this weekend and on Armistice Day, we will reflect on a year of remembrance. From the Battle of Monte Cassino in Italy, to Normandy, to Operation Market Garden around Arnhem.

Last month we also marked the 10-year anniversary of the end of military operations in Afghanistan, that claimed 457 British lives.

And this week I have travelled to the Falkland Islands, where we will honour the 255 British service personnel who died restoring the right of Falkland Islanders to choose their own future.

It is vital that we continue to remember the fallen from each conflict, each and every year.

As a son of Plymouth, and the son of a Royal Navy submariner, this has been drummed into me. And thanks to the tireless work of the Royal British Legion, whose poppy campaign has fuelled Armistice Day for more than a century, remembrance has also been drummed into the country. There is no other annual event that so successfully brings Britain together, across all four nations, and all generations.

As I saw in Kyiv recently – as Ukraine approaches one thousand days of courageous resistance – freedom can demand a heavy price. It is important that every generation understands that.

The Royal Marines of 47 Commando certainly paid a heavy price in Normandy. They were immediately tasked with seizing the harbour of Port-en-Bessin, to establish a fuel supply to power the allied liberation.

They fought their way on foot through machine gun posts, and nine miles of German resistance. The Battle of Port-en-Bessin began around 16.00 on 7 June. Through their bravery and sacrifice, the port was under the control of the Royal Marines by the following afternoon.

Of the 431 Royal Marines of 47 Commando who headed towards Gold Beach on the morning of June 6, only 278 were alive and fit to parade for inspection on the morning of June 9.

This summer, in their 360th anniversary year, the Green Berets of the Royal Marines were again on the streets of Normandy, speaking to local children on a street named in honour of 47 Commando. The stories of the heroics of the previous generation, were passed on to the next. Stories of service and sacrifice, repeated across the decades, from Korea to Kuwait.

We salute them. And all the members of our Armed Forces who step forward to serve and protect our freedoms in this increasingly volatile world. This weekend, thousands of personnel are engaged in roles that uphold international law, protect democracy and preserve global security. From the men and women training our Ukrainian allies in camps across England to the sailors in the Middle East protecting global seas. Sacrifice and service that secures our liberty, and way of life, continues to this day.