This weekend we stop for a moment to recall and
honour the sacrifice made by so many in conflicts over the years for
Remembrance Day.
This year is particularly poignant as it marks the
Centenary of the end of the First World War.
Events are being held throughout Mid-Cornwall to
mark this solemn occasion and I will be at services at Newquay, St Austell and
St Columb Major to pay my respects.
The impact of the First World War cannot be
overstated. In the space of just over four years, this first truly global war cost
eight and a half million lives and almost 29 million casualties or missing on
both sides.
In small rural communities such as we have many of
in Mid-Cornwall, the effects of this prolonged conflict were particularly felt,
with a generation of young men called away to fight, never to return, leaving
small and fragile communities in a perilous state because the manual workers
were no longer there to keep business and industry running.
The Duke of Cornwall’s light infantry alone lost
4,510 men during the course of the war, all fathers, brothers and sons whose
loss would have been felt keenly in their communities and down through the
years.
But this Great War affected every level of society.
As I have written in previous years, the Member of Parliament for St Austell,
Tommy Agar-Robartes, was killed by a sniper in September 1915 after rescuing a
wounded comrade under heavy fire, for which he was recommended for the Victoria
Cross. Tommy’s sacrifice is commemorated in Parliament with a plaque in the chamber
of the House of Commons and on the war memorial in Westminster Hall. As the
Heir to the Agar-Robartes family, Tommy’s death saw the beginning of the
decline of Landhydrock, mirrored by the death of so many of the gardeners and
workers causing a similar decline at the Heligan estate in Mid-Cornwall.
Taking the time to remember these losses, as well
as those in subsequent conflicts, is important for ours and future generations,
as well as bringing into perspective the men and women of our armed forces who
continue to serve and protect to this very day.
It also brings home to me as MP, the grave
responsibility we have in Parliament when it comes to making decisions to
deploy our troops in times of conflict.
So this Sunday let us remember the men and women
who gave their lives for us in the past and honour those who continue to risk
their lives today.
My team and I are here to serve the whole
constituency and work hard to make a real difference to the lives of everyone
needing support. The office is open to the public Monday – Friday 10.00am –
4.00pm (no appointment necessary). If there is an issue you would like my
assistance on then please, either visit the office or contact me on either
01726 829379 or office@stevedouble.org.uk. Additionally, I hold regular,
appointment only, advice surgeries across the constituency. Dates of these can
be found at: www.stevedouble.org.uk/events
