We Will Remember Them.

On Armistice Day, I joined HM Lord-Lieutenant of Surrey, Mrs Neelam Dharni Devesher MBE, at the Act of Remembrance at Surrey County Council’s offices in Reigate.  Together with veterans and serving personnel, representatives from the emergency services, Royal British Legion, trade unions and SCC, we paused to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to their country.

Three days before, the Lord-Lieutenant and I had both attended the Service of Remembrance at Guildford Cathedral, where the Dean, Bob Cooper, shared the moving story of Captain Wilfred “Billie” Nevill of the East Surrey Regiment as an example of how courage and leadership have secured the freedom we enjoy today.

Billie led his men out of the trenches and across the stretch of No Man’s Land beyond on the first day of the Battle of the Somme, 1 July 1916.  He did so by kicking two footballs towards their goal, the village of Montauban.  In the weeks before the battle he had brought the footballs to the front line as a distraction and a morale booster, concerned about how his men would respond when the order came to “go over the top”.  As Billie and his men approached enemy lines, they faltered under intense fire.  Billie was killed while leading his men forward, but the East Surrey Regiment went on to achieve its objective and Montauban was taken.

The courage of Billie and his regiment, together with the service and sacrifice of all who have served, have given us our tomorrow.