LegionLive

Representatives from HM Armed Forces will be honoured today at Buckingham Palace.

Lance Corporal John Watson, of the Royal Marines, and Major Daniel Reeve, of The Rifles will receive the Military Cross for services in Afghanistan.

Captain Steven Jones, of the Army Air Corps, will be honoured with the Air Force Cross and Lance Corporal Sebastian Wyton-De Lisle, of the Royal Signals, will receive the Queen’s Gallantry Medal.

Super mum and army medic, Lieutenant Colonel Sharon Stewart, was also recently awarded one of nursing’s highest honours, a Royal Red Cross (Associate).

A Royal Red Cross is awarded ‘for exceptional service to military care to individuals who display extreme courage and devotion to their duties.’

Congratulations to everyone; hold your heads high and represent the nation with pride.

Private Bryan Johnson with Sergeant Glen Gardiner

 A number of brave Servicemen have received military honours at Buckingham Palace today. The Military Cross is granted “in recognition of an act of exemplary gallantry during active operations against the enemy.”

Three of the Servicemen receiving their awards today all served with The Royal Regiment of Scotland and each has their own tale of determination and courage to tell.

Private Bryan Johnson, just 24 years old, saved a fellow soldier by dragging him to safety in the midst of a Taliban ambush. Private Johnson had only served 11 months!

Sergeant Glen Gardiner, 35, risked his life by going to assist Afghan Army troops who had suffered a casualty. Two rounds passed through his day sack and he was blown off his feet by a grenade.

Captain Iain Curran, 28, is receiving the Military Cross for helping to recover the body of his fallen comrade while under heavy insurgent fire.

I really love his quote which I think displays the essence of the UK Armed Forces, their humility and motivation to just get on with the job. He said; “To see so many bear huge sacrifices and continue to display the humour and fighting spirit for which Scottish soldiers are famous was reward enough.”

All recipients said they were honoured and humbled to be recognised in this way.

These are just a few examples of acts of exemplary gallantry that are occurring every day on the frontline. Their humility inspires us and reminds us what it is to be British.

Congratulations to everyone receiving their award today.

This week Prince Phillip honoured the 2 Close Support Battalion REME (Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers) at a medal parade in Fallinbostel, Germany. The Prince was there to award 150 soldiers the medals following their deployment in Afghanistan.

This service followed the Prince’s visit last Thursday to Barnstaple, when thousands of people gathered to welcome the Chivenor troops during a homecoming parade. Even at 90 Prince Phillip remains an active champion of more than 800 charities and organisations, attending 350 engagements a year! He is the only public figure in Britain to have served in World War II, and he certainly looks as sharp as ever in full uniform!

Good morning all,

First of all I would like to give a huge thanks to everyone who attended the Silence in the Square event on Friday - it was a truly moving service and the public’s support was overwhelming. Remembrance Sunday followed, and people across the country united in their support of our Armed Forces past and present. Here’s a visual round-up of the last few days:

In London, the service at the Cenotaph was led by Her Majesty the Queen, with the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince of Wales, Duke of Cambridge, Princess Royal and Dukes of York and Wessex also in attendance to lay wreaths on behalf of the Royal family.

Here, Sophie Read, aged 2, plants a cross at a service in Glasgow

Lance Bombardier Ben Parkinson of 7 PARA lays a wreath at Doncaster

During the Two Minute Silence a group of builders paused during work in Salford, Greater Manchester

Alpha (Grenadier) Company, The Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland in Lashkar Gah

Let’s not forget our footballers, who proudly displayed poppies on their arm bands during this international friendly

A massive thank you, again, to everyone who has supported the Legion. The annual Remembrance events never fail to illustrate just how much support and respect our nation has for the sacrifices made by our Armed Forces.

As I mentioned last month, Hollyoaks actress Abi Phillips is recording a single in support of the Poppy Appeal – and she needs your help!

Abi is inviting the nation to join a choir of thousands by singing down the telephone so they can feature on the single ‘Coming Home.’ The closing date for entering has been extended, so you’ve all still got a chance to participate!

It’s a really easy and fun way to donate to this year’s Poppy Appeal, especially to celebrate the 90th anniversary of The Royal British Legion.

To find out more, and for the terms and conditions, just click here.

I look forward to hearing all of your lovely contributions soon!

A fascinating new exhibition will open on the 12th November at the Imperial War Museum in London, showcasing the world’s largest collection of Victoria Crosses (VCs), which has been established by Lord Ashcroft since 1986. The 162 awards, which range from the Crimean to the Falklands wars, will go on public display for the first time alongside 48 VCs and 31 George Crosses (GCs) already held by the Museum.

To mark the opening of the Lord Ashcroft gallery, the Imperial War Museum has also commissioned new works for its Collection, including a portrait by acclaimed war photographer Don McCullin of Private Johnson Beharry VC, whose bravery I’ve blogged about before.

For More information, visit the Imperial War Museum’s website.

Here’s a courageous story for you –

Bomb disposal hero Staff Sergeant Gareth Wood has been honoured with the Military Cross after his heroic efforts to disarm five Taliban bombs with one hand after suffering two broken fingers.

Throughout his six month tour of duty in Helmand Province, Gareth dealt with 52 lethal IEDs. He protected two Mastiff armoured truck crews by defusing the roadside bombs, whilst under fire from Taliban machine gunners.  The ordeal of clearing the road of IEDs lasted an incredible four hours, and Gareth finally sought medical care for his fingers only after making sure that everybody else was safe.

A well-deserved honour and a truly brave accomplishment! Much respect to Gareth, and all the other service personnel past and present who always put others first.

Yesterday, more than 130 valiant service personnel were honoured for their actions and bravery whilst serving our country in this year’s Operational Honours List.

Here’s a couple of inspiring tales of bravery to end your Friday with:

Cpl Ricky Furgusson was awarded the Military Cross after losing both his legs, his fingers and an eye in a bomb blast in Afghanistan.  Furgusson repeatedly risked his life to protect comrades injured by IEDs, until he was wounded himself in January this year.  Despite this, Ricky remains upbeat and immensely proud of his actions, saying, ‘ninety per cent of the time, I kept them alive and they are up and walking about now. I am proud.’

Another notable achievement was Flt Lt Ian Fortune, who earned the Distinguished Flying Cross for flying six injured troops to safety in a Chinook helicopter after being shot in the cheek by Afghan insurgents.

The selflessness, commitment and camaraderie shown by these men  - and the other 130 personnel I wish I could mention here - is commendable, and they deserve all the recognition they have received!

The story of an untouchable hero has unfolded after his amazing eight medals were put up for auction in London.

Sergeant Jack Byrne was a founder member of the elite fighting force. His astonishing story reveals that he was shot three times, bayoneted and sent to concentration camps. Yet, he managed to survive every attack and battle on through.

During his action in Dunkirk, North Africa, he was bayoneted then left for dead. He was rescued and sent back to England. In 1942, Sgt Byrne was then shot in the face at close range, leaving him to wander the Libyan desert. He was captured from here and sent to a concentration camp in Poland.

Whilst being transferred to another camp, he managed to escape through a latrine drain and stow away on a Sweden-bound ship in order to rejoin Britain’s war efforts. On D-Day, whilst in battle he was then shot in the knee by a German soldier.

After the war ended, he went on to work as a police officer in the Malaya Emergency where he again evaded death when he was shot in the stomach.

For his heroism and exceptional resilience, Sgt Byrne was awarded with eight medals. One of the eight medals is the Distinguished Conduct Medal, second highest to the Victoria Cross. They have been valued at £50,000 and have been put up for auction by a private collector, although I think the story of courage behind the medals is priceless.

The sky was clear and the sun was blazing, a top of one of the most wonderful viewing spots in London - the perfect setting for eight courageous and highly talented women to get together.

This is how I spent my morning, as I was extremely lucky to be invited behind the scenes at the photo shoot for the Remembrance Expedition.

Meeting all of these remarkable women after hearing so much about their achievements in the past felt like an honour - from the first female Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London and jet fighter pilot, to an Olympic athlete and the first female member of the Royal Navy to receive the Military Cross.

They seemed like such a close knit group, everybody was laughing and joking together, with such a strong team morale and determination to raise money for The Royal British Legion.

It really inspired me, and I hope will encourage people everywhere to take part in any sort of fundraising. This effort really highlights how a group of brave and determined people can make a difference by raising as much money as possible for a fantastic cause.  The trip will also be really interesting for the team, as they will follow the route taken by another courageous woman, Nancy Wake, and will be a step back in time reliving her mission.

Here’s wishing the ladies the best of luck with their expedition, and I can’t wait to find out how it all goes.

Keep your eyes peeled for more information about how the ladies got on, and please do give generously at their donation page.