The structure of Remembrance this year has had three distinct parts to it. The Westminster Field of Remembrance, which was opened by Her Majesty the Queen. The second weekend in November events, which include the Royal Albert Hall Festival, the Cenotaph Parade in Whitehall and Church Services throughout the country. And finally, today’s Armistice Memorial Service at the National Arboretum, which was attended by the Princess of Wales.
This three-legged-stool, which has developed over time in response to the needs of those who defended the Free World and their descendants, is part of Deep British Culture. Unfortunately, this is under threat from those who wish to “reinvent” the commemoration because they do not agree with concepts of loyalty and duty to one’s country.Their arguments stem from a naïve ideology that oversimplifies the complexities and realities of war. I am all for inclusion, especially to those who feel disenfranchised, but we should not dilute the military involvement and nor should we allow the ignorant to denigrate our way of life.
It seems to me that the words “We Will Remember Them” are more poignant this year than ever before. This is not just because so few are left who fought in World War II, but also because the World has become increasingly dangerous since the end of the Covid Pandemic.
However, Remembrance Sunday was not always so obvious. Forty years ago, one of my soldiers asked why he had to march to church to commemorate something which was signed so long ago that it was irrelevant, especially as no member of his family had been affected by the two World Wars.
In reply, I attempted to put some perspective on the only day of the year when the Padre has a captive audience. I talked about the millions of men and women who gave their lives in the cause of freedom and explained how in every ship, regiment and air-base there is a book of remembrance for those who have died In Service since the Second World War. I added that it was appropriate that collectively, we should take the opportunity of considering whether we are really leading our lives as we should.
I am not sure that I convinced him at that time, but very sadly, he later became a grieving father when his son, who followed him into our regiment, was killed in an explosion while on patrol in Lashkar Gah. The strength of a family regiment is seen in the pain and grief we all share when a soldier dies.
As we approach Armistice Day, it’s worth reminding Wikipedia AI producers that it is not a “celebration” and that Armistice Day and Remembrance Day are not the same thing, unless 11th November lands on a Sunday.
This year, my first thoughts are with those who suffered from abuse during their time in the Armed Forces. Many of us who spent a large part of our lives in the military inevitably will have witnessed cases of mental, emotional and physical coercion under the pretext of team-building. Those who suffered include naïve young male and female soldiers, as well as mid-career aspirants. It is sad that incidents of racism and sexual assault still sully the military and that the same mistakes are being repeated again and again as highlighted in court this week by the appalling case of Gunner Jaysley Beck.
One of the tasks I was given when I was responsible for Royal Armoured Corps initial training at Winchester was the integration of female recruits. This was at the same time that the Deepcut Recruit Training Scandal was occurring. Part of the reason we succeeded where others failed was a strict adherence to the principles of Investors in People. The Army stopped using this standard about five years later and to my mind, that explains why it still has a big problem with its management of personnel in 2025. If the Assistant Chief of the General Staff is genuinely interested in eradicating this problem, he would do well to reintroduce IiP accreditation across the Army today.
There is a saying in the Army that runs along the lines: “there are no bad soldiers, only bad officers”. Like all generalisations there are many exceptions to this maxim, but from my experience of commanding soldiers on 7 different operations (including as a platoon commander in West Belfast), it is founded on truth. In the case of the soldiers who shot dead 13 protesters on 30 January 1972, I would personally direct my focus on the military leadership, rather than the “out-of-control”, poorly-trained troops.
Another focus would be on the Media and especially the BBC, whose reporting continues to be biased against the Army. Their historical context always begins with the introduction of Internment, but makes no mention of the murder of over 50 British soldiers and policemen that led directly to Bloody Sunday. This is similar to reporting on the war in Gaza without explaining that Israel was responding to the heinous crimes committed by Hamas.It is about time the BBC leadership corrected its prejudicial reporting on the Troubles.
Neither of these observations will comfort the families of those who were killed in Londonderryat the end of January 1972.They have my full sympathy, but at the same time persecuting veterans for politicians’ mistakes is the wrong way to deal with legacy issues in Northern Ireland.
To many people, Tomahawk missiles are a game-changer that could end the war in Ukraine overnight. However, my experience of their use in wars in the Balkans, Middle East and Africa is that they were less important than the armoured brigades and ground troops that were deployed to the battlefield by NATO and other Coalitions. I watched several of Tomahawks fly over my base in Maglaj on their way to Banja Luka on 10 September 1985, but it was the Challenger 2 tanks that were the real game-changers during Operation Deliberate Force.
Looking at the war in Ukraine, the Pentagon has to weigh-up whether the deployment of Tomahawks would deter further Russian aggression, or act as provocation. On the one side, we know that Putin and his acolytes believe Ukraine is their “property” and are unwilling to see it join NATO. On the other side, Ukraine has done a magnificent job of defending its independence and has hurt Russia recently with its clever strategy and tactics.
Trump is treading a fine balance between the two sides. He clearly does not wish to start World War III, but at the same time he wishes to be seen as a peacemaker and knows that Putin only respects strength. So what chance of a ceasefire before the end of the year? My view is that if there is a pause, it will more than likely be due to the winter weather than military diplomacy, but that in itself will be of benefit to ordinary citizens living with the constant fear of attacks from the Air. So, here’s hoping…
MI5, which stands for Military Intelligence Section 5, was originally formed in the run-up to World War I to counter the domestic threat from countries against which we were about to fight i.e. Germany and its allies. Due to the counter-espionage success, its role was expanded to include fifth columnists and Soviet propagandist sympathisers, who worked to overthrow the legitimate government of the United Kingdom. After the Cold War, when Francis Fukuyama told us history had “ended”, MI5 lost its sense of purpose until 9/11, when international terrorism raised the threshold of domestic attacks in western countries. Since then, it has never been busier because Britain created a National Security Register, which now runs to thousands of serials.
Reading the MI5 dire warnings about China by the head of MI5 today, one might be led to believe that the People’s Republic is about to invade a British Territory, or a NATO ally. Whereas in fact, the Armed Forces have been encouraged to share information with China for many years. A good example was the Chief of the General Staff’s land warfare conference, which I organised in 2011. On day 1, at 10.15 after the US Chief of the Army, General Martin Dempsey delivered a keynote address, the next speaker was General Zhang Qinsheng, who as Deputy Chief of the People’s Liberation Army gave a vivid strategic overview. The following day, after Rhett Hernandez, Commanding General of US Army Cyber Command, provided the conference with an update about American cyber capability, he answered a myriad of questions posed by the Chinese delegation (see the unclassified photograph below).
I am sure Sir Ken McCallum is truthful when he states that MI5 is disrupting Chinese intelligence gathering in the United Kingdom, but if we are so worried about this, why are we giving academic scholarships to Chinese students at our prestigious universities, who then have access to incredible levels of private knowledge? And why are we not being consistent with other economic competitors which are also “spying” and attempting to steal copyright material?
Successive governments have fudged this issue partly because China is not a direct military threat to Britain and partly because even though there is a trade deficit, the People’s Republic is our fifth largest trading partner and, according to a government factsheet, we exported £28.8 Billion of goods to China in the four quarters to the beginning of 2025.
I was very grateful to the organisers of Battles through History for inviting me to join the eclectic mix of authors in the Norfolk Pavilion last week. Despite Storm Amy, there were plenty of visitors to this tremendous military show at Ardingly, many of whom joined us upstairs for the fascinating book talks.
Although we focused on the past, the news in Ukraine and the Middle East, was still very much to the fore and had me thinking about casualty rates. During my talk about the Victoria Crosses awarded in North Africa, I pointed out that the casualty rates at Gazala and El Alamein were as bad as Normandy and North West Europe. For example, at Gazala, the Allies suffered 50,000 killed, wounded or captured out of a force of 110,000.
Looking at casualty numbers in the two worst current conflicts, there have been about 60,000 fatalities in Ukraine this year and about 24,000 in the Middle East. These levels are equivalent to what was happening in World War II and suggest the character of war has not changed even if the tools may be different. It is good that a ceasefire has been agreed in Gaza, but the real challenge is 2,000 miles north of there.
Two more book talks this week in Hampshire and Sussex. The first is about the year 1830 in England. This was a time that the present day echoes, with the dominant features being: climate change; economic depression; and political violence – The King’s Petition and Swing Riots.
The second is about the Victoria Crosses awarded (and downgraded) in North Africa and will be part of the Battles Through History military show at The South of England Showground, Ardingly RH17 6TL. When I am not enjoying the fabulous arena events and displays, I will be in the Norfolk Pavilion on Saturday 4th and Sunday 5th October.
Thirty years ago, a Ministry of Defence report recommended cost savings by abolishing the rank of Field Marshal in the British Army. As a result, General Sir Charles Guthrie was not promoted when he became Chief of the Defence Staff in 1997 and it was only when Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II wished to appoint the Prince of Wales to that rank fifteen years later that the moritorium was lifted and Guthrie became the first honourary Field Marshal in the new era.
I first worked for this distinguished soldier in 1983 when I was Close Reconnaissance Troop Leader in 4th Armoured Brigade in the British Army of the Rhine. After completing a couple of military tasks for him, I received a generous letter that I retain to this day. Twelve years later, when he was Chief of the General Staff, he visited me on the front line in Bosnia and was equally complimentary with his words. The photograph of me with him wearing a UN beret below is quite amusing because he was not a fan of peacekeeping operations and was often quoted as saying that they undermined the British Army’s warfighting ethos.
I find it very strange that there has been so little coverage of his death in the Media. Yes, he served in the Special Forces, but there is a huge amount of other important work that he did for the country, which should be revealed to the public. Considering the number of words the BBC has given to people like Ozzy Osbourne, it is totally disrespectful to relegate this eminent soldier’s legacy to the back pages.
Chief of the General Staff Visiting Maglaj School in 1995
Football managers have been known to call for their team’s supporters to be their “twelfth man” because some clubs have such vociferous fans that the opposition is intimidated by the noise they make and they help to win the match.
The analogy in warfare is not exactly the same, but there is no doubt that the touchline support from the EU to Ukraine has sustained the country in its fight for freedom. This week’s response to the latest Russian aggression is a good example, with NATO countries providing the means for Ukraine’s 221 drone counter-attack on Putin’s energy resources and the deployment of extra troops, artillery and air defence systems to the Russian border area after the incursion into Polish airspace.
Prince Harry’s visit to Kyiv may seem trivial against this support, but there is no doubt that it symbolises Britain’s deep empathy with Ukraine and represents our unifying sentiment towards the victims of war. So, this time: “Well Done Harry!”
Rupert Wieloch 