North East Ambulance Service Latest To Pay Tribute To Our War Dead

As someone who has served both in the armed forces and emergency services, it is always nice to see emergency vehicles with the red poppy on them.

In my own humble opinion, we have a duty to honour the memories of every single man and woman who was sent to fight in conflicts over which they had no control.

Even the individuals who do not ‘agree’ with the emergency services displaying poppies on their vehicles are able to share their opinions because of the blood that has been spilt by the incredibly brave men and women who never made it home.

When we share stories such as this one, the outpouring of support for the trust / service that decides to display remembrance poppies on their vehicles is enormous.

Only a very small minority of individuals ‘don’t’ agree with the emergency services displaying poppies on their vehicles, whilst the vast majority of people ‘do’.

So, in a democracy that has been upheld by the sacrifices of those who never made it home, then we should always go with the popular opinion of the masses rather than the badly informed ones of the few.

North East Ambulance Service have said on their Facebook page:

‘An idea to put poppy designs on our ambulances this year came from David Parkin who works in our fleet department.

‘Formerly in the Royal Electrical Mechanical Engineers (REME) for 22 years as a staff sergeant vehicle mechanic, he explains:

“With it being the 100th year anniversary, I thought it was important to show our support to the Royal British Legion and all of the service men and women and volunteers who have lost their lives through conflict.

“We hope that by being placed on ambulances, they should be seen by people from across our region.”

‘The poppies will be visible for the next few weeks’

Meanwhile, NEAS also explained in a bit more detail about why they are promoting Remembrance on its fleet of 100 vehicles:

‘North East Ambulance Service is marking the centenary of the end of the First World War with the images of poppies on some of its vehicles to say its very own thank you to all who served and sacrificed their lives in the Great War.’

Assistant director of communications and engagement at the NHS Foundation Trust, Mark Cotton explains:

“This war is said to have touched the lives of families in every village and town in the country and its impact is still being felt today.

“The occasion of its centenary means a lot to people and we felt that it was appropriate to mark this occasion on some of our vehicles as an important milestone.

“Feedback has already been flooding in and I our staff have said they are extremely proud to drive those vehicles.”

My great grandfather fought in WW1 and was in the Battle of Ypres in 1915 so it is truly touching to know that his memory, as well as the memory of the hundreds of thousands of other brave souls is being honoured by the emergency services.

Without the sacrifices made by the people who lost their lives in WWI then our country would not be the country it is today.

And without the dedication shown by the emergency services, then our country would not be able to function.

Thus, there is and always will be an intimate and emotional relationship between the two.

Featured Image Credit: North East Ambulance Service | Facebook

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