Two reasons to remember 7 November.

In 1918, it was the day that my wife's grandfather Bill Townsend returned to England for the last time. He had done his bit. Enlisting on 11 August 1914 he served in France and had been wounded on three separate occasions, in the hand, knee and back. He had also witnessed the death of his younger brother Gabriel in 1915. Bill served with the 5th, 1st and 6th King's Shropshire Light Infantry.

(This year, the last of Bill's three children died - our beloved Auntie Gwen. She still lived in the cottage in Harewood End in Herefordshire where Bill and his wife Nancy had settled after the war).

Four years before Bill came home, the remnant of the 1st Battalion, the South Staffordshire Regiment, rose as ordered to attack the enemy at Armagh Wood near Zillebeke. In this final action of the battalion during First Ypres, losses were such that fewer than 50 men were left of the 1000 that had landed at Zeebrugge just a month before. It was for his part in this attack that Captain John Vallentin was awarded the VC.

A good day to remember both Bill and my "adopted" battalion.

Here's to Bill and another Bill whom I remember, dyed in the wool sarf lundunner, Diehard, who when he was looking forward to demob, was sent to freeze his unmentionables off in Russia. ( his words, not mine, only Bill was not as PC as I was). Bill survived another war and saw 80 and more birthdays go by. Here's to all the Bills and their mates, each and every one of whom would have thought you were taking the **** if you had called them heroes.