Remembrance Day: Armed Forces

Peter Fortune Excerpts

Tuesday 11th November 2025 Commons Chamber

[Peter Fortune (Bromley and Biggin Hill) (Con)]

I too want to thank the Minister for the Armed Forces, for whom I have huge personal respect. Anyone who wants to take themselves to Wikipedia and have a look through his glittering career will be amazed. I made the mistake of looking earlier and finding out that he was younger than me, which was thoroughly depressing.

It is a privilege to have the opportunity to speak in today’s debate. Remembrance Day marks a significant moment of national unity, and an opportunity to share our deep-seated feelings of gratitude, sorrow and loss, which span generations. We give our thanks for the bravery and dedication of those who have served in our armed forces. I would especially like to remember those from my regiment, and those who served in the wider armoured corps. I vividly remember visiting the battlefield of Villers-Bocage with some of the veterans, and it was deeply moving. I would also like to make special mention of my uncle, Simon Clark, who as a very young man served on HMS Arrow. He marched at the Cenotaph yesterday, and we are all very proud.

It would be remiss of me not to mention the huge part that my constituency played in the second world war and the battle of Britain. RAF Biggin Hill, Britain’s most famous fighter station, played a critical role in defending London and the south-east. Despite being officially designated the most bombed station in Fighter Command, the station still saw the departure and return of over 1,000 sorties during the battle of Britain. At the close of the battle, Biggin Hill’s score of enemy aircraft destroyed was just under 600, and Winston Churchill described RAF Biggin Hill as “the strongest link”. I pay tribute to all those who served at RAF Biggin Hill, and to the community who supported them.

Bromley borough is home to more than 6,600 veterans—the highest number of any borough in London—and nearly 2,000 of those veterans are my constituents in Bromley and Biggin Hill. Locally, we are incredibly lucky to have the Hayes Royal British Legion branch. It was established over 90 years ago, and boasts 900 members, who collectively raise thousands of pounds to support serving and ex-serving members of the armed forces and their families. Since its inception in 1919, Remembrance Day has brought our communities together to remember the sacrifice made by all those serving in the UK and Commonwealth armed forces, their families, and others who have given their life in service to our country. It is right that we honour them today, and I am immensely privileged to be able to thank them on behalf of all my constituents in Bromley and Biggin Hill.