We will remember them....

Late last night I read something on Facebook, written by a friend, which brought home the realities of war. I can't share it here, because it's not my story to tell, but it was both moving and inspiring. Many of  you will know what I'm talking about, though. Armed combat is unimaginably brutal and horrific and nobody who takes part in it is unaffected.

I can only imagine the pain of watching someone I love set off for war, not knowing whether I would ever see them again, yet nearly everybody did in the world wars. Most of us really don't know we're born these days. Think of what it must be like if your sibling, spouse or parent were in Iraq or Afghanistan. How would you go through your daily life wondering if the next knock on the door would be bad news? And if it were, how would you cope?

It's important that we set aside time today to honour those who have died in war - and those who have lived through them and suffered physical or mental consequences as a result and the families who love them.

It doesn't matter whether you approve or disapprove of armed conflict in general or any particular war. Servicemen don't have a say in where they are sent. They just have to get out there and do their jobs. We owe them our gratitude and our understanding.

The Royal British Legion does so much to support veterans and their families and it's important to support their work. You can donate £10 by texting 70800 and here are some other ways to help them.

Tower Bridge to open in act of remembrance

One of the fabulous things about being an MP or working for one is that you get the chance to take good ideas from constituents and make them happen.

In two minutes' time at 11am on 11.11.11, 91 years after the Armistice that ended World War 1, the nation will stop to honour those who have been killed in armed conflict.

Whether you agree with a particular conflict or not, it's right that we honour those who have given their lives. and stop to think about the children who grew up never knowing their fathers, about the parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, partners who had to go on without them.

Today, there will be another element to the nation's act of remembrance. Tower Bridge, an iconic landmark, a global symbol of the UK, will open for the two minute silence. The reason this is happening is because Robert Smith MP took forward an idea brought to him by a constituent, Eric E Sangster. Mr Sangster had been in London near Tower Bridge one 11th November and had noticed that the traffic didn't stop.  When he told Bob Smith about it, he wrote to the relevant authorities asking if the Bridge could be opened and here we are today.

At this moment, Mr Sangster will be poised to operate the controls himself. This photo shows Bob Smith and Mr Sangster at the War Memorial in Banchory and was taken and is reproduced with the permission of Bob Smith's office. I hope to have some more of the actual moment of the Bridge opening later.

I think this is a great idea and hope that it continues every year.

For Remembrance Sunday; Remembering the fallen and their families

I am not quite a pacifist, but generally believe that there are better ways of solving problems than using force.

That doesn't stop my unwavering respect and gratitude for the work of the armed forces in this country, past, present and future. I am grateful that we live in a country where it's democratically accountable politicians and not the military who decide where the Armed Forces go and what they do.

On Remembrance Sunday, we remember those husbands, brothers, cousins, fathers, mothers, wives, sisters and friends who have lost their lives while serving our country with the Armed Forces. Their sacrifice would often come after a long time in horrific conditions, far from home. We think of the families who still feel the pain of the loss of their loved one. And we think of those who are coming to terms with the effects of injuries sustained in the course of their duties.

Thank you isn't enough to recognise what these people have given up or been through, but it's important that we say it. Let's be silent for the next two minutes in tribute to those brave men and women.

Remembering the agony of the families

As I sit in my cosy house, surrounded by my small but happy family, I feel so much for those families of members of the Armed Forces who have lost their lives in the course of their duties.

There are partners and children living every day with the reality of the sacrifice that their loved ones have made. Some children will have no memory of their fallen parent. Others will have had to deal with the shock waves of losing one of the most important people to them and its effect on their family.

I know I simply would not be able to cope with the life that service families have to lead. I couldn't handle the separations and constant anxiety if a member of my family were in a war zone. I would fall to bits if ever the phone or doorbell rang.

I'm thinking today of all of those families, particularly those who are still coming to terms with losing a child, or a partner, a sibling or a parent. Remembrance Sunday will be a poignant landmark in their grieving and they deserve the empathy an support of the entire country. They will never forget, and nor should we.