This Remembrance, Remember The Military Children Left Behind
Every year, at 11am on the 11th of November, people across the nation stop and pay their respects to the fallen soldiers of the British Armed Forces for Remembrance Day. But for the bereaved military children and young people supported by Scotty’s Little Soldiers, every day is Remembrance Day.
“We never want to forget everybody who’s put their lives on the line for us.” – Scotty member Ben, 13, whose dad was killed in Afghanistan in 2008
For Remembrance Day, military charity Scotty's Little Soldiers has recorded a special podcast episode featuring charity founder and army widow Nikki Scott, and three bereaved military children, Ben, Lily and Sebastian, who share what Remembrance Day means to them and why the two-minute silence is so important.
Scotty’s are on a mission to remind people that it is not just about those who lost their lives in World War 1 & 2. There are still men and women giving their lives for their country, and Scotty’s provide support to the hundreds of bereaved military children and young people left behind.
Charity founder, Nikki Scott, said: “Often when we think about Remembrance, we picture the older generation fighting in the Great War. But at Scotty’s, we see every day that young, modern families are impacted by the death of a parent who served in the Armed Forces. Remembrance is every day for these families and although it’s a very emotional time of year, it’s a very important time.
“Scotty’s wants to modernise Remembrance and for people to remember our fallen heroes but also their children who are impacted by their death every day. These men and women made the ultimate sacrifice for our country, we owe it to them to look after the families they’ve left behind.”
As part of #NovemberToRemember, Scotty’s has recorded a Remembrance special on their new podcast network, Scotty’s Little Stories. Remember Them, Remember Us shares insight into the lives of the bereaved Forces children and young people supported by Scotty’s. The podcast features charity founder Nikki Scott who was inspired to set up Scotty’s Little Soldiers after witnessing the devastating impact on her grieving children following the death of her husband, Corporal Lee Scott, in 2009.
Also featured are three Scotty members, Lily, Sebastian and Ben, who each share what Remembrance means to them, how they remember their heroes and why the two-minute silence is so important.
12-year-old Lily will be thinking of her father, Corporal Paul Harris, this Remembrance. He served in the Royal Engineers prior to his death on 31st May, 2011, just a few months before Lily turned two. She said: “I heard a few people say why are we still talking about Remembrance Day when World War 1 and 2 were ages ago? I said because there’s still people dying in the Army today. There’s still people fighting for other people today and they’re still dying because of it. Because it doesn’t affect them, none of it has, so people just don’t care about it and they don’t think, oh, that’s why.”
Scotty's Little Soldiers Member Lily shares what Remembrance Day means to her
11-year-old Sebastian was just seven months old when his dad, Royal Navy chaplain Reverend John Hill MBE, died after suffering a heart attack in 2010. Sebastian said: “You should remember, all these families have lost loved ones. If you don’t do that, then all these people have died for nothing. You should remember.”
Scotty members at the 2019 Remembrance Parade at the Cenotaph in London
Remembrance Day can be an emotional time for bereaved military families and in the podcast, charity founder Nikki Scott opens up about her own struggles at this time of year. She said: “Remembrance is such a proud day for me. It’s so, so important. It’s a massive part of my family’s life now, more than it’s ever been.
“I feel like, if I’m being really honest, it’s a moment I also dread. The lead up to Remembrance is really, really tough, sometimes I want to run away because I feel like I can’t escape it. I’d be heartbroken if there was no Remembrance, but at the same time I find it so difficult and so painful. Just so many memories of the early days come back, of remembering being told about Lee. No matter how long it has been, those memories all come flooding back at the time of Remembrance.”
At Scotty’s Little Soldiers, we know that our families have their own special ways of remembering their heroes at this time of year, but we want them to know they aren’t alone. The Scotty’s team has created a Ways to Remember poster, a Remembrance colouring-in sheet and are hosting virtual drop-in sessions for members in the lead up to Remembrance. The charity is also providing a £20 voucher for each member so they can enjoy a meal with their family to celebrate and talk about their hero.
13-year-old Scotty member, Ben, whose father, WO2 Gary O’Donnell was killed in Afghanistan when Ben was 9 weeks old, said: “We never want to forget about all of these soldiers. We never want to forget everybody who’s put their lives on the line for us. On Remembrance Day, we like to go up to my dad’s plaque by the local church and lay things out for him like wreaths and poppies and things. It just makes me feel really proud of my dad for all the stuff he’s done, not just for me but for everyone to have better lives.”
Scotty's Little Soldiers Member Ben talks about his military hero at Remembrance
Lily said: “When Remembrance comes around, I know Scotty’s is always there. It makes us happy, because I know if I’m upset, or if I even just need someone to talk to, even for just five minutes. I know someone’s there to take that time out of their day to just put a smile on my face. It just makes me happy that they’re there, not only for me but for everyone.”
This year, 45 members of Scotty’s Little Soldiers will be taking part in the Remembrance Sunday parade at the Cenotaph in London. All of these children and young people will be marching to honour their heroes.
Ben, who also took part in the parade in 2019, said: “It felt really good doing the parade because it showed me there were loads of people in the world, not just me, that had been affected by fallen soldiers. It’s just really nice to see such a big event happening because it helps everyone, not just me, remember all of the soldiers, not just my dad, that have put their lives on the line for us.”
Sebastian will also be in this year’s parade, he said: “Usually I would go to the Cenotaph, and usually, if I wasn’t in Company’s Section, I would go and I would wear my dad’s medals. We’ve got two different sizes but they’re both the same, one’s small and one’s big, I wear the small one and my mum wears the big one. This year, I’m in the parade.”
When 11am strikes on November 11th, Scotty’s are urging people across the nation to take two-minutes to stand in silence and remember our fallen heroes and those impacted by their deaths.
Nikki said: “It’s something we hear all the time at Scotty’s, that the children and young people feel very alone and isolated in their bereavement. We are always trying, every day, to remind them that they’re not alone and that Scotty’s are always here for them. But on Remembrance Day, they’re reminded that the whole country has their back. The whole country is behind them and will never, ever forget them, and that’s so important.”
Nikki Scott and Scotty's Little Soldiers' Members at the 2019 Remembrance parade
