“When you go home, tell them of us and say,
For your tomorrow, we gave our today.”

My short blogging experience has seen me traipsing all around London in an attempt to document the major commemorative events dedicated to the centenary of the First World War.

But on this Remembrance Sunday I decided to remember the losses of other families by spending the day with my own in Essex.

So I got up early this morning and caught a train with my mum to Southend. There we met my grandparents (who are my most enthusiastic and supportive readers!), my aunt, a family friend and my cousin, who was taking part in the Remembrance Day Service as part of the Essex Air Cadets.

The Air Cadets joined with the Sea and Army Cadets and with their bands they marched towards the Cenotaph in what was a very moving ceremony.

Even though for a change I was not in London, I wasn’t far in spirit, as there were speakers linked to the ceremony taking place in Westminster, and the chimes of Big Ben at 11am kicked off our 2 minutes silence.

The Remembrance Day Service in Southend drew in massive crowds of people

After this words were given by the officiating clergy and it was said that sacrifice is key to remembrance on this day. This would have been felt not only by soldiers fighting abroad but also amongst families and whole communities at home. On this point a civilian called Amy Beechey was remembered as suffering the ultimate sacrifice in the form of her five sons, each killed in the conflict.

As I said before, like many others I spent Remembrance Day with my family. Tonight I’m also off to see my lovely aunt who is unfortunately in hospital at the moment. The ceremony today with its focus on sacrifice drives home how important it is to appreciate your own loved ones.