Last Saturday (27^th June) was the first Armed Forces Day, a national day to recognise the fantastic contribution armed services personnel past and present have made for this country.

Local Labour MP Anne Snelgrove hosted an event at Greendown Community School with Veterans and history students on Friday and would like to thank Vicky Lewis, head of history at Greendown for all her hard work in setting up the event.

This event was a chance for young people to ask questions and learn about the experiences of Swindon Veterans. Hearing the sacrifices these men and women made for our country was extraordinary and the children asked very interesting questions which the Veterans were happy to answer.

Anne said:

“I found the stories told by the Veterans fascinating and moving. Until we heard the veterans’ stories neither I nor the students realised quite how important it is to find a good site for a latrine – this was mentioned by veterans from WW2 through to the Gulf War! At the other extreme it was sobering to learn that images from the wars still recur for the veterans today, and seem to become more vivid as time goes by.”

“My support for our Armed Forces is unwavering and I would like to congratulate all the organisers of last weekend’s events across Swindon and the country. But above all I would like to thank our brave service men and women for the amazing work they do and I hope speak for most people in Swindon when I say, “thank you”.

Vicki Lewis, Head of History at Greeendown said:

“When we hosted Veterans Day the pupils came away with amazing insight into people’s lives. It gave pupils the opportunity to meet and discuss veteran’s experiences and come away with a real understanding of the work they have done in serving our country.”