Father's Birthday:

Today would have been my dads birthday. He had me late in life so he and my grandfather were around the same age. He was older than my mum by some years, he lived, he saw a Britain that now only exists in faded memories or newsreels. He was evacuated from Dunkirk. A scared young man doing his duty like thousands of others. He rose through the ranks not by birth but on merit. Like many of that generation he didn't want handouts he wanted opportunity. He worked all his life and passed away after a series of debilitating strokes, my mum caring for him until the end. He taught me pride in this country, he taught me a sense of fair play, of integrity, of honour and decency. He taught me that chivalry wasn't dead and that there was no shame in being a gentleman. He was one of millions of men and women who thought similarly, who sacrificed and who looked to leave behind more than they were given. I fight for his legacy, for the legacy of all those men and women. Here's to you dad, to all those dads, grandads, mums and grans who gave everything for us. We won't let you down. We will leave more than we were given and we will carry the day.