Some of you will have been coming to this annual service for years; others, like myself, will be here for the first or second time, but we are all here, as we heard at the beginning of our service to remember, to seek God’s guidance and to work for peace.

It is hard for those of us who never lived through the war years to understand fully what those years were like and what devastation was brought to the world in the middle of the last century. Each year, the number of those who fought and served in other ways decreases, both here and at such occasions right across the country and the world. But, of course, we mustn’t forget either that men and women in our armed forces continue to serve around the world today in conflict situations and still risk their lives for the sake of others.

Those who fought and who were involved directly with the Second World War, as part of the Armed Forces, or support services or at home, will have painful memories that, fortunately, many of us will never have to bear. The horrors of war are not something to be replicated. Only those who were there at the time will know exactly how horrendous were the situations they faced.

There was an added element for those who fought in Burma, that they seemed at times to have been forgotten by the rest of the world.

In August 1944, Lord Louis Mountbatten reminded the world through the press not to forget the Far East: “My object in this press conference is to try to put before the press of the world that every effort has been and is continuing to be put into the South East Asia campaign; that the Burma battle front is a single unified front: that my plans are made in close consultation with my deputy, General Joseph Stilwell, and, we carry them out with a common end in view.

“Please therefore look upon Burma as one big Allied effort. British. American and Chinese with the help of the Dutch and the other nations that are with us. It is going extraordinarily well as an Allied effort. We do not want a lot of limelight, in fact we do not want any, but I go round and talk to the men in the Command and what worries them is that their wives, their mothers, their daughters their sweethearts and their sisters don’t seem to know that the war they are fighting is important and worthwhile, which it most assuredly is.”

As he points out, those who were fighting in the Far East were not after the limelight, seeking only to do their duty.

Mountbatten then went on to outline what was going on and what had happened in the campaign so far, so that the forgotten people might be forgotten no more.

Today memories are more available but time is running out, if we are to continue hearing first-hand what the War was like.

Arthur Swinson wrote these words, which are quoted on the Association website: “More than perhaps any campaign in the Second World War, save the Russians’ defence of Stalingrad, the Burma campaign has the elements of a great Homeric saga. It took place in a fantastic terrain, isolated by the great mountains and jungles from any other theatre. It went on unbroken for three years and eight months. It covered vast areas.

“It sucked into its maelstrom nearly 2,000,000 men. It encompassed great disaster and ended in great triumphs. It produced prodigies of heroism, patience, resolution, and endurance. It brought about great suffering, but fascinated and enthralled those taking part in it, both victors and losers. It was like no war that had ever been in the history of conflict.”

You here today are ensuring that that heroism, patience, resolution and endurance is not forgotten. If we are to fulfil that pledge to work for peace, then we need to remember what a world devoid of peace is like.
War is never a good thing. Too many people lose their lives; too many people have to endure a life of bereavement and grief; too many people lose a husband or child, a parent or friend; too many people experience horrors from which their minds and emotions will never be truly free; too many people are damaged physically.

The Second World War was a tragedy of history, and yet, those who fought and stood up for liberty believed it to be a better option than doing nothing at all. With war and the threat of war an ever-present feature of life in our time, we need constantly to remind ourselves of the heroism and courage of those who fight, and support them in our prayers, but also we need to keep reminding ourselves that war causes devastation and by so doing renew our efforts always to work for peace.

The facts about war are stark, but facts do not inspire others as much as personal testimony.

The personal stories of those who have suffered because of war are what will affect others most, so do keep telling your stories, and the stories of your parents and grandparents.

And, what of God in all this? The God who calls us to love our enemies, to walk in his ways and bear witness to his love. God often gets the blame when things go wrong, and in today’s world that is more of an issue than ever, since people so often claim they are fighting on God’s behalf.

In fact, the responsibility lies not with God, but with us. God does not drive people to kill others; God is a God of love, who created every human being, and longs for us to live at peace with one another. Think how a parent feels when their children fall out with one another.

God longs for us to follow his paths, but does not force us to do so, since that would make us little more than automatons, which cannot love or hate, or feel or care for others.

War usually has its roots in a conflict about power - it might be power related to land or power related to an individual’s desire to control. It might be the desire of power of one nation over another or one misguided individual over other individuals. The Christian Gospel calls us back and reminds us that it is God who is powerful, and that in God’s kingdom it is the meek who hold a blessed place.

This is not to take away from any of the sacrifices that were made by men and women of the past in wartime or those that are being made today, by men and women in our modern arenas of conflict, men and women who have left home and family to work for the protection and peace of others.

But, it is to offer a call to each one of us here today to stop and remember what are the values of the kingdom of God, and to work for those values in our world today. When we recognise our own sinfulness, our lust for power, our greed, and acknowledge them before God, we can share the values of the kingdom with others.

But we can only do this with the help and guidance of God, and by recognising in humility where true power lies - in the hands of God. But in the hands of a God who has let go some of that power because humans have a choice.

We have a choice whether to work for our own ends or those of others. We have a choice whether to work for peace or for greater conflict. We have a choice whether to sacrifice ourselves and our well-being for the good of the other.

Those who went to Burma and the Far East gave up their own desires and in many cases sacrificed their lives for others. They believed that their fight was one of good against evil. Those are the choices we sometimes have to make in our fallen world. War is not undertaken lightly.

And, as we remember what the men and women of the past sacrificed for our present well-being, we should recall the words of Jesus: “Greater love hath no one than this that they lay down their life for their friends,” and pledge ourselves to working for a future governed by the values of God’s kingdom - love and joy and peace. Amen.