Remembrance Day: Armed Forces

Amanda Martin Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Amanda Martin (Portsmouth North) (Lab)]

I associate myself with the eloquent words of the Minister for the Armed Forces, and thank all those in this House who have served for their service.

I am honoured to contribute to today’s debate on behalf of the people of Portsmouth North, including members of the armed forces, as we pause to remember those who gave, and those who will give, their lives in the service of our nation, and to reflect on the continuing cost of conflict and the lasting contribution of our armed forces to our national life.

For me, remembrance is deeply personal. On 23 December 1940, during the second world war, my great-grandad George Hector Coles was killed when German bombers struck his home, 22 Abercrombie Street in Portsmouth, in one of the horrific blitz raids on my city. While families across Britain prepared for Christmas, mine received news that changed them forever. He never saw peace return after that war, and never met his grandchildren, but his sacrifice—like those of so many—echoes through generations and shapes my understanding of what remembrance truly means.

Portsmouth’s role in our nation’s defence cannot be overstated. As the home of His Majesty’s naval base, our city has stood on the frontline time after time. During the second world war, our streets endured 67 bombing raids, with nearly 1,000 lives lost and thousands left homeless, yet Portsmouth never faltered. The courage of dockyard workers, civil defence volunteers and ordinary families across the city exemplifies the spirit we honour today. At the weekend and today, I was proud to lay wreaths at memorials across our city, where the names of Pompey folk stand alongside those who never returned, including so many who were lost at sea with no grave. We owe it to all of them not only to remember, but to uphold the values for which they served—courage, duty, and a belief in a better future.

Remembrance is not only about the past; it is about those who serve today. There are around 4.5 million people in the UK armed forces community, and I am proud to say that my son is one of them. Alongside the Royal British Legion and with the amazing Terry and Denise, I am proud to have sold poppies for many years, and to wear my poppy. I pay tribute to the veterans, veterans’ groups, cadet forces, community organisations and charities across my city who support our armed forces families all the year round.

This year I have been contacted by constituents who would like me to speak specifically about their heroes. They are Leading Writer Kate Elizabeth Arnold; Kathy Cox—known as Katy Newman—who served as a corporal during the civil war in Cyprus; Barry Hynd, who served 30 years in the Army; Christopher John Purcell, who served 20 years in the Royal Navy, including in the Falklands and the Gulf; Graham Street, who served 35 years in the Navy; Corporal Fred Head, a recipient of the Military Medal and bar, who served from 1914 until 1919; and Walter Gabriel McKay, a first and second world war veteran. We must remember them.