A Day To Remember

Flt Lt Stew Kearney, ACS Trg Off

Up and down the country, people come together to remember the sacrifices made by so many.

For me, and no doubt Aston

Villa fans like me, we endure the emotional rollercoaster that is being a football fan on a weekly basis. This year, I was fortunate enough to be able to commemorate Armistice

Day in front of the famous

Holte End at Villa Park with colleagues from all 3 Services, both serving and retired.

Not only did I get to wear my poppy with pride, I got to wear it in front of 42,000 fans with other members of the Armed Forces by my side.

You’d have to go back to Aug 1995 to find the last time

Villa beat Man Utd at home ( 3-1 to Villa); John Major was our Prime Minister, Take

That were No 1 in the charts and Teletext was your go to source for football results (and some cracking holidays!). The mood in the ground was one of optimism and excitement and for us, pride!

As a member of the Official Military Lions Supporters Club, I get to share the ups and downs of being a Villa fan with other military personnel across the world. Retired WO1 Darren Potter, who runs the Military Lions Supports Club, said “we were approached by the Aston Villa Foundation and asked if we would like to participate in the Remembrance Parade at Villa Park on 6 Nov”. From there, 13 members of the supporters’ club were selected from the Navy, Army, RAF and veterans to participate. From the RAF, myself, Flt Lt Ryan Bradshaw who lives at Halton but currently works at High Wycombe, AS1 Laurence Montgomery of Scampton and Sgt Timothy Hynd of the RAF band were all part of the parade.

We all arrived at Villa Park Sunday morning ready to go. A couple of members of The Military Lions Supporters Club had hosted a quiz night at a local pub the night before, which raised over £400 for the RBL but even after sampling a few of the local refreshments on offer, they were still ready and raring to go.

After a few rehearsals and photo opportunities, we were treated to some excellent hospitality by the club before getting ready to march out of the tunnel in front of 42,000 fans. There was even time to raise a glass of port in honour of those no longer with us (as well as an extra 1 or 2 to settle some nerves).

The respect shown by all the fans in attendance was

overwhelming and summed up the spirit of the occasion. Flt Lt Bradshaw, who had the honour of laying the wreath on behalf of Aston Villa, said “as a lifelong Villa fan, I’m incredibly grateful to Aston Villa for this opportunity. The Remembrance Parade at Villa Park is one of the most moving moments I have ever experienced”. The stadium was silent during the playing of the Last Post, again showing the respect and dignity of the fans for the occasion.

I often used to joke with my brother about how one day he would see me walk out of the tunnel at Villa Park. So to have him in the crowd that day and see his little brother march out proudly, in a slightly different uniform than we both imagined back then, made the occasion even more memorable. The day was topped off with a fantastic 3-1 to the Villa which made the journey home a bit more enjoyable. UTV!