On Remembrance Day 2024, our director and former UN peacekeeper David Clarke, shares his personal reflections on the importance of commemorating the fallen.
The value of fighting for peace
November 11th is the day we remember those who gave their lives on the battlefield so that future generations can live their lives free from tyranny, but it is also a day when we should remember the value of fighting for peace.
On this day, my mind is filled with memories of heroic veterans of war I had the honour to meet. Like BBC presenter Sir Patrick Moore who at 17 years old joined the Royal Air Force and flew nighttime bombing missions over Germany in the second world war.
And former policeman John Bosley, who in 1944, aged just 19, volunteered for the Parachute Regiment, and was in the first wave of troops to be dropped at Arnhem, straight into the line of fire of a powerful enemy Panzer Division.
Courage and the longing for peace
Their courage, humble nature, intellect, and love for others warms my heart to this day because despite the horrors they witnessed, they had a longing for peace. Winning a battle is a brutal task, unimaginable to anyone who has not experienced the horror that unfolds when war is declared.
When peace is finally brokered, it is the ability of victors to treat the defeated with respect and build a lasting peace, that defines the true winners.
Hope after the horrors
Twenty-five years ago, I had the honour to serve as an investigator with the United Nations International Police in Bosnia Herzegovina. I witnessed first-hand how the horrors of civil war were followed by hope.
In this Balkan enclave, police officers from over 40 nations, including Kenja, Fiji, Canada, France, Germany, United States, Russia and Ukraine, worked together to fight for peace.
On the 11th of November 2000, my police friends and I reflected on how far we had travelled since the hatred of the two world wars. We vowed to do all we could to maintain peace because the prospect of war returning to Europe was too horrifying.
Rule of law reigns
Building rule of law is the concrete foundation upon which to reconstruct post war communities. That was the mission of international police officers and international lawyers in Bosnia.
One of these was John Furnari who, in his capacity as a special adviser, helped reform the police and judiciary, bringing cases to court and introducing new processes to strengthen democracy.
Remembering the peacemakers
John and I were recently reunited for the first time since Bosnia. As energetic and passionate as ever, John recounted stories of friends and families we knew during our service.
Our reunion took place in the splendid surroundings of Ten Trinity Square in London. Now a luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, the grand building was once home to the Port of London Authority and hosted the inaugural reception of the United Nations General Assembly in 1946.
Birthplace of the United Nations
Standing in the spot where world leaders had celebrated the founding of the United Nations, I unfurled a UN flag that I was given in Bosnia. It contains badges of the many police forces that served together in the mission. Like the UN Ballroom, is represents the hope and opportunity for peace that follows war.
Lest we forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice in war and let us remember too those who devote their lives to fighting for peace.
Guildhawk is a signatory to the Armed Forces Covenant and actively supports the Armed Forces Community.
