Welwyn Hatfield MP and Ex-RAF Serviceman Steve McNamara Remark on Remembrance Sunday 2020
Traditional remembrance memorial services have halted by the coronavirus pandemic, preventing gatherings around memorials and cenotaphs.
However, Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps believes that this should not lessen our commitment to remembering those who have died in war.
Visiting the Hatfield Memorial Garden, Mr Shapps said: “Today cuts very deep inside really because it makes you recall…the ultimate sacrifice that so many have given to make sure that we have the freedoms that we have today.
“It’s so easy to forget what they went through- the horror of it all- so that we could live in peace.”
Steve McNamara, an RAF veteran from Welwyn Garden City with grandfathers who fought in both First and Second World Wars, said:
“I think every generation has historic, cataclysmic events that define them.
“For this generation, it is probably COVID. It has produced heroes and victims, and I think these will be remembered in the future.”
Mr Shapps also spoke of the vital role of the Armed Forces in the battle against the virus:
“This is a Remembrance Sunday like no other, as we battle this coronavirus.
“But the thing to remember is that a lot of the people that we’re here commemorating and thanking, are actually out there serving right now.
“Thousands internationally, but also at home in the battle against the virus- for example in Liverpool, helping with mass-testing.”
Mr Shapps laid a wreath at the Hatfield memorial. He said: “I think in the Armed Forces we have as much to thank today as we ever have.
“That’s why Remembrance Sunday- even remembering it slightly differently than usual is so important.”
A video of the visit was produced, which you can view below: