'Remembrance a reminder - don't let it happen again'

Remembrance Day should serve as a reminder not to let the world wars or other conflicts happen again, says the president of the Isle of Man's Joint Ex-Services Association.

Brigadier Norman Butler, 96, said it was "important to remember the sacrifices made".

A short ceremony will take place at the war memorial in Douglas from 10:45 GMT and a two-minute silence will also take place in Market Square, Castletown. It comes after communities fell silent on Remembrance Sunday.

"As time goes on, the survivors are no longer here but for those who follow, they should understand what happened, and be proud of what was done for them," Brig Butler said. "It should be a message - don't let it happen again."

Politicians are also set to hold a two-minute silence during House of Keys and Legislative Council sittings at 11:00 GMT.

The chief minister is set to be accompanied by ministers to lay a wreath on the ground floor of the government offices at 09:30.

He continued that the message, "isn't really working, but it hopefully makes people more cautious at a time where the world is quite unstable".

Remembrance Day "honours the memory of these marvellous people, all of them served to give their lives, they all had families, and it is so important to remember what their sacrifice was," Mr Butler said.

"We are not just remembering the fallen, we are remembering the survivors too," he continued.

Brig Butler served in the British Army for 32 years, and was 16 when World War Two ended.

Both of his grandfathers died fighting in World War One and his mum was left as a 16-year-old to bring up her younger siblings.

Remembrance Day "means so much" to the family members of both the fallen and the survivors, he said.

"You very seldom find survivors who talk about what happened, it is very difficult, people are killed and you keep it to yourself," he said, noting his family members who fought and survived in the war did not talk about it.

"My experience of all the comrades more recently in the jobs I do, dealing with the many new veterans, that continues to open my eyes, and continues to make me realise how important this remembrance is," he added.

Sheila Webster, secretary for the women's section of the Royal British Legion on the island, said it was "very important to encourage our young people to take on board what our ancestors have given up for us in the two world wars, and we have survived since then in relative peace".

"It is a big part of our history," she said, and noted "women were there always, they were nursing, caring for the sick and disabled, some of them even fought in the wars, and there were women who took aircraft out to foreign places so the men had aircraft".

Ms Webster said her father fought in World War Two, and her grandfather had fought in both of the world wars.

"They never spoke about what happened, but it needs speaking about," she added.

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