Church Moderator takes part in service to mark D-Day 80th anniversary (2024)

On Wednesday, Dr Paterson also preached at the Scottish National War Memorial Service at Edinburgh Castle, an annual event highlighting those who have died in conflicts since World War I.

He said: "This week it has been a privilege to represent the Church of Scotland at the Scottish National War Memorial service, as well as at a special event commemorating the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Glasgow Cathedral.

"Coming together in an act of public remembrance is a poignant reminder of the sacrifices made by individuals, and inevitably a reminder too of the impact that loss has on families, friends and the communities around them.

Let us pray:

Lord God, as we acknowledge the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings, we do not forget what followed. We give thanks for the courage of those who on this day 80 years ago and all those who served in so many ways and in so many places, in the weeks and months that lay ahead, gave of themselves to ensure peace would follow.

We remember the breadth of duties carried out by our forces and support personnel through the years – the conflicts, the peace keeping duties, the humanitarian aid – for all that they give and all that they do to make this world of ours a safer and more caring place. We also commend in our prayers the families of those who serve in the sacrifices they make, the worry they live with and the love they offer to those close and dear to them.

We echo the words written in the Field Service Book:

Almighty God, in you alone we find safety and peace.

We commend to your gracious keeping all the men and women who serve in the Navy, the Army, or the Air Force, who face danger and put their lives at risk so that others might live in safety.

Defend them day by day by your heavenly power; and help them to know that they can never pass beyond the reach of your care.
Keep alive in them and in us your vision of that peace which alone we must seek and serve; Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen

Today we remember and give thanks. Remembrance calls us to pay respect to the brave men, women and children - living and dead, who have fought to preserve the nation. But in doing so we are compelled to count the cost of our heritage in terms of the lives lost and forever changed. Today, we say "thank you" to all those who have placed their lives in jeopardy for us and also to acknowledge and say thank you to their families who's lives have been forever changed. We remember the families of all those whose names are included on the role of honour, and it is a privilege to have with us today the families of: Sgt Sean Binnie, Sgt Stuart Millar, Sgt Jonathan Mathews, Cpl Jonathan Moore, Mark James Allender and Alan Raw. Be assured of our continuing thoughts and prayers.

The Rev George Macleod the Gorbals minister who organised the rebuilding of the abbey on Iona tells of a regimental boxing match during the Second World War. Between rounds, a soldier who had been wounded and had lost his memory entered the ring holding a large piece of cardboard carrying the question, "Can anybody tell me who I am?" Having lost his memory, he had no identity. He had no name, no past, no roots, no history, and little sense of self. To have found a memory would have been to recover a person--not only a past but a present and a future.

It is right and proper that we mark occasions like today; if we didn't we would lose our past, our roots, our history – without the memories of our past, part of who we are would be missing.

For many of my generation and younger, our minds are to a large extent educated on historical events by the movies. There are some old favourites like the Great Escape, The Bridge over the River Kwai, The Dambusters, Sinking of the Bismark and with tomorrow being the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings there will be numerous re-runs on television, and there is a problem there. Many of the war films tell a tale and there's a bit of poetic license and stretching of what actually happened but as the tale unfolds, the allies are victorious and in the main (admittedly with a few exceptions), they end with a sense of being victorious and ‘they all lived happily ever after.' But for those who experienced war and conflict there could be, and can be, no ‘and they all lived happily ever after' such was the effect of their experiences.

We must always remember – we owe it to those who suffered and died, and to those who suffered and lived – lived a life with the physical and mental consequences of what they endured. And as we remember we pray for a day when nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. For this world of ours, needs to learn from the past and needs to learn to love one another.

I am honoured to have been invited to speak at this service, I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to think about what I would say, and I feel blessed that men, women and children gave so much on my behalf – on behalf of us all. Think for a moment of the famous words often repeated at services like this: "But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever touch them they are at peace". (Wisdom 3). Today we remember them and once more commend them to God's care and eternal keeping.

In November when we watch the Festival of Remembrance from the Royal Albert Hall and see thousands upon thousands of poppies falling on those assembled beneath and each poppy represents a life. In the box behind me are the names of everyone from a Scottish context who lost their lives in the first world war, and the Rolls of Honour covering almost 100 years – the most recent names added just over ten years ago - 207,102. The murals on the surrounding walls represent actual people – please see the attention to detail from the uniforms, the animals used in service, the facial expressions, all interweaved with one another and in a sense, we are too, for those murals bring us back to reality for they convey names written in a book as real living people, like you and me – 207,102 individuals who gave their lives on our behalf, who deserve to be remembered and honoured; and, of course, that number is multiplied many times when we think of the nearest and dearest who's loss is with them every moment of every day they too deserve our recognition and our commitment that they will never be forgotten. Thanks be to God. Amen.