Railway Armed Forces vets remember lost comrades as they collect for Poppy Appeal

Ex-servicemen and women at Govia Thameslink Railway (GTR) are this week out at stations across the Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express network, remembering the fallen and collecting much-needed cash for the Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

From 7am to 10am up to and including Friday 7 November, passengers will find them at Brighton, London Bridge, St Pancras and Gatwick, hoping to better last year’s amazing sum collected of £26,000.

Remembrance Day is important for many of the veterans, who have set up an Armed Forces Network at GTR to support one another.

Jason Brooker served with the Royal Marines before joining GTR as Head of Environment, and Remembrance Day carries deep meaning (see case study and photos below). Last year he helped collect at Brighton station. He can't be there this year but he is one of founders of the GTR Armed Forces Network and will be heading privately to a war memorial on Remembrance Day.

Jason said: “It’s about remembering my friends – seven or eight of them from Afghanistan and Iraq – half of whom died by suicide after they came home. We talk about those who died in service, but not enough about those who lost their lives afterwards because of what they carried.”

Another member of staff, who works at the Hornsey Depot in north London, Train Maintainer Harry Rothband, will once again wear his Royal British Legion jacket to collect for the Poppy Appeal.

For Harry, this is more than fundraising, it’s a personal promise to his grandfather, Lieutenant-Colonel Geoffrey W Rothband who fought with the British Expeditionary Force and evacuated from Dunkirk in 1940.

Harry said: “His example has meant a great deal to me. I volunteer for the Royal British Legion in his honour, to reflect on the sacrifices made in wartime and to help keep alive the traditions of duty, courage and community that he embodied.”

Poem over the station PA

To mark Remembrance Day, GTR veterans have recorded a short, five-lined poem (see editor's notes) that will be played out over the sound systems at Southern, Thameslink, Great Northern and Gatwick Express stations on 11 November at 10:54am.

Samantha (Sam) Facey, Safety, Health and Security Director and Executive Sponsor of GTR’s Armed Forces Network, will then lay a wreath at King’s Cross Station.

Sam said: “This year’s event carries special significance, marking 200 years of rail and 80 years since the end of World War II, offering a poignant reminder of the important role the railway played in supporting the war efforts and connecting communities during times of hardship.

“It will be an honour to represent GTR and our Armed Forces Network at the King’s Cross ceremony. To everyone at GTR who has served or supported the Armed Forces in any way, your commitment, teamwork, and resilience continue to inspire us.”

Free travel

Great Northern, Southern, Thameslink and Gatwick Express are joining the rest of the rail industry in offering free travel for any serving military personnel and veterans travelling on Saturday 8 or Sunday 9 November, to any station in London with return on the Sunday. For Services of Remembrance taking place outside London, free return travel will be available on Sunday 9 November (see editors’ notes).

In addition, 100 rail vouchers have been issued to children and accompanying adults invited to attend the special ‘Scotty’s Little Soldiers' remembrance service at the Royal Albert Hall – for the charity which supports children who have lost a parent in the forces.

ENDS

The poem that will be read out over the PA at stations on 11 November reads:

Today, as poppies bloom and silence falls,
We remember those who left by train and never returned.
Their journeys ended, but their sacrifice lives on.
The railway remembers.
We all remember.

Serving military personnel and veterans will receive free travel provided they are either in uniform, or can show proof of their identity, including:

• MOD90 Ministry of Defence identity card
• Ministry of Defence-issued Veterans ID card
• veteran's rail card or veteran's oyster card
• Proof of their military pension