 On Saturday night, I was kindly invited by the Salvation Army to be a guest at their Annual Festival of Remembrance at the Hadleigh Temple.
It was brilliantly organised evening, with some wonderful and inspiring music both from the Hadleigh Temple Band and also the Royal Naval HMS Nelson Volunteer Band, which had come up from Portsmouth. I also loved the singing of the Dedicated Divas, plus the Temple songsters and the timbrel players.
It was a remarkable mix of remembrance and contemplation, nostalgia, a celebration of some high quality band playing, an insight into the contribution the Salvation Army makes to the support of our forces, and a wider reflection on what is going on at the moment in Afghanistan and other theatres.
I've written before on the current situation in Afghanistan. The death toll is appalling and tragic. But we also need to consider all the young men who were returning with what is euphemistically called "life-changing injuries", caused by the roadside improvised explosive devices that are proving so difficult for our forces to deal with.
Nor must we forget those who return with psychological wounds and terrible memories which are so difficult to come to terms with. The Salvation Army and its volunteers have done amazing work over the years supporting veterans struggling with some of the problems which affect our troops after conflict, including the shocking number who find themselves homeless.
Thank you to all at the Hadleigh Temple for such an enjoyable and thought-provoking evening.
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