Sunderland remembers the fallen heroes who 'gave us the freedoms we have today'

Sunderland Echo

The city of Sunderland has been hosting its annual Remembrance Sunday event.

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01:41OK, so as a current serving member of the Armed Forces, how does it feel to see the turnout in Sunderland today then?

01:46The turnout in Sunderland was great today, and it always is.

01:50Every year when the regiment comes up for remembrance services, but also for the Freedom of the City parades,

01:56it's always good to see so many people from Sunderland come out.

01:59I mean, Flanders Fails, a very moving poem. How does it feel to read it out to the people who are gathered there today?

02:04Well, it's a great honour to read it out, and it is a beautiful poem, quite a striking poem, about the service in that great war.

02:15I mean, obviously it's over a century now since the end of the First World War, come great years since the end of the Second World War,

02:20and as I say, not many survivors left in terms of veterans from the Second World War even.

02:25So how does it feel, and how important is it that we remember the sacrifices that those people made?

02:31I think as time goes on, as you say, there's fewer and fewer veterans of those big conflicts that we think of that are still around.

02:40But I think the effect on our society of these wars was so great, and so many people suffered in serving them and at home,

02:48that we must always continue to come out and support the service.

02:52It's also important to remember the sacrifice being made by current serving personnel as well?

02:56Yeah, of course, we have some individuals from the regiment away at the moment, serving overseas,

03:03and who knows, may have to go away in future further afield as well.

03:08So yes, of course, always those serving overseas at the moment.

03:13Wing Commander Harris, honoured guests, ladies and gentlemen.

03:18As the Mayor of Sunderland, it is my sincere honour to welcome each of you here today,

03:23on behalf of the people of our great city.

03:26Remembering Sunday stands as a vital opportunity for Sunderland to unite, to reflect,

03:32and to pay tribute to those from our community, who over many generations,

03:38left behind family and friends to serve in conflicts, both past and present.

03:45Today, we gather to remember the bravery, commitment, and ultimate sacrifice of those who gave their lives for the country.

03:55This year marks the 80th anniversary of so many momentous battles and turning points of the Second World War.

04:02The Battle of the Monte Cassino, the D-Day landings, the largest seaborne invasion of history, marking the beginning of the liberation...

04:11Okay, so a big turnout there today. I mean, just how big a part of the annual calendar is this now for Sunderland?

04:16I think it's one of the biggest parts of the annual calendar.

04:21I mean, you've seen today the huge turnout. I think it is definitely the biggest.

04:25And just how important is, you know, I mean, we're 100 years on since the end of the Second World War,

04:29nearly 80 years on since the end of the First World War.

04:32Just how important do you remember these people who made the ultimate sacrifice?

04:35It's very important. We need to remember our history.

04:38We need to remember the people who served and committed, you know, being in the army and the services,

04:43and we need to remember those. They lost their lives for us, and we need to remember that.

04:48And it's also about recognising those who are serving for us still today in the army and the forces.

04:52It certainly is, and Sunderland has got a huge military background,

04:56and there are lots of people from Sunderland serving and still in the armed forces,

05:00and it's great to keep that going.

05:38SUNDERLAND

05:56Okay, then, Lisa, as a veteran yourself, I mean, just how did it feel when you come through the street there,

06:00you know, to see the turnout, to see the applause people were getting?

06:04It warms you. That's the best way to describe it.

06:07It shows that people appreciate what our armed services have done and what they are still doing.

06:13It shows that they recognise what has been given, whether that's a life lost or a life changed,

06:21but it's also recognising that calling that our armed forces personnel have.

06:28I mean, obviously, there's no-one surviving still from the First World War.

06:32There's very few people left from the Second World War in terms of veterans,

06:35but just how important is it that we continue to remember the sacrifices that those generations made,

06:39and indeed the sacrifices being made currently in conflicts around the world?

06:43We need to always remember these sacrifices because without those sacrifices,

06:47we wouldn't have the freedoms we have now.

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