Every year, on the second Sunday in November, in common with many others up and down the country, the town where I live comes together. In Olney, around a thousand people gather in the Market Place – some in uniform, some in suits, some just in coats and scarves against the November chill.
We come to remember. Some are there for those who fell in conflicts past. Others come to support their children in youth organisations. Some stand beside friends or colleagues. Whatever the reason, we make the time to come together.
As we approach the hour, the traffic stops and the Last Post sounds. Then, as the clock strikes eleven, silence falls. For two minutes, the town pauses.
In that moment, it’s not about politics or religion or background. It’s about shared respect. About community. About remembering what was lost and valuing what we still have – the freedom, the friendship, the ability to stand side by side in peace.
And that sense of community matters more than ever. We live in a time when society feels increasingly divided – when algorithms on so-called social media feed us outrage and misinformation; when newspapers twist headlines to fit an agenda; when too much of life pushes us into an us-versus-them mentality. Yet, this morning, I saw the opposite. I saw a huge cross-section of our community come together – young and old, rich and poor – all standing side by side.
There was representation from the armed forces, police, fire service, youth groups, churches, schools, sports clubs, charities and the Women’s Institute. Each laying wreaths, but all sharing a common purpose.
Even in a town of fewer than 10,000 people, there were faces I rarely see – and some I don’t always see eye-to-eye with. But today, none of that mattered. We were all there for the same reason, and there’s mutual respect in that.
We may be fortunate here – a small market town in what was once Buckinghamshire, close to areas of high employment and relative comfort – but not everyone here has privilege. Some are struggling. Yet today, that didn’t matter either. For a short while, everyone stood together.
This year’s remembrance feels especially poignant. Eighty years since the Second World War, conflict still rages in too many parts of the world. Nationalism is on the rise again – flags waved with more anger than pride – and it’s easy to forget what those who served fought so hard for.
It would have been easy to stay at home this morning. But I’m glad I walked down to the Market Place. Because what I saw was the very best of our community – people united by remembrance, respect and gratitude.
When the Reveille sounded and life resumed, there was a quiet pride. A reminder that community isn’t just something that happens online or when it’s convenient. It’s something we live, together, year after year. And today, it was lived in remembrance of those who served – and those who never came home.
