This weekend, our communities will gather at their war memorials.

Next Wednesday, we will fall silent at the eleventh hour. These ceremonies honour those who never came home and recognise the debt we owe to everyone who served.

Over the past fortnight, I have seen how much of this commitment is sustained by our own communities. From the volunteers and veterans helping launch the Poppy Appeal in Liphook to the Headley Royal British Legion branch’s coffee morning, a great deal of quiet work goes on to ensure our Armed Forces are not forgotten.

I also joined Binsted Parish Council and Damian Hinds MP to mark the start of restoration work on Rowledge’s war memorial. My thanks go to everyone involved. Every poppy worn and every donation made helps serving personnel, veterans and their families.

Remembering the fallen is a duty we all share, but we must also stand by the veterans living among us, and ensure the country they served stands by them.

Bordon was a garrison town for generations, Aldershot is on our doorstep, and few villages here lack a family connection to the Armed Forces.

Most leave the services and build successful lives. Some struggle to adjust, and help finding a home, securing work, accessing mental health support or simply speaking to someone who understands can make all the difference.

That support must be accessible. Ministers point to their veterans support network, Operation Valour, but our region’s two centres are in Aylesford in Kent and Portsmouth.

Months after bids closed, we are still waiting for a decision on the next round of funding. Communities with military roots this deep deserve to know what more support from Government will look like.

Standing by veterans also means treating them fairly. Last month, the Commons passed Labour’s Northern Ireland Troubles Bill, replacing the 2023 framework with a new system for investigating the past.

There are serious concerns about whether the Government’s safeguards will be enough to stop former soldiers being dragged back through investigations into events decades ago.

Former heads of the Army have warned against the legislation, and I voted against it. Families deserve answers, but those who served their country lawfully must be treated with fairness and dignity.

We cannot honour their service in November while allowing them to face repeated investigations for the rest of the year.

So please wear your poppy, give what you can to the Appeal and attend your local Remembrance service.

If you are a veteran, or from a veteran’s family, struggling to get the support you need, please contact my office and we will do everything we can.

Remembrance must mean more than words and ceremonies: it must mean keeping faith with those who served, and ensuring no one is left to struggle alone.

We will remember them.