University remembers with Royal Air Force Veteran

Remembrance Day has taken place around the University of Gloucestershire.

First-year Journalist Students were given the chance to meet and talk to Roy Roberts, a Veteran of the Royal Air Force.

Unforeseen events caused this year’s Remembrance Day to be difference as it would normally be, but that did not stop Roy to meet the students virtually via Zoom.

One student asked how Covid-19 changed Remembrance Day.

“Today, we cannot have crowds there, which we normally do”, says Roy “we knew that we would not be going to be selling poppies”.

Roy was at the Liberation of Kuwait & the Gulf War in 1991 as a media officer for the Royal Airforce.

“It was quite an eyeopener” Paul remembers “Surprisingly, there was an element of censorship. People were taking photographs inside the tanks”.

As the lockdown caused many places to close or open with conditions, poppies were still selling. Normally, the Royal British Legion would make £50 million through poppies and charity causes to help families whose members had fought or died in the war.

Roy also talked about how he missed the atmosphere of member meetings. “Our branch members are mostly veterans”, he says “It is all a very friendly atmosphere and we miss all that”.

Fortunately, it is not all doom & gloom this year. Another student asked why he thought it was important to keep Remembrance Day going.

Roy believes the next generation are important to make sure all the wars the British veterans fought in would not be forgotten.

“I welcome the fact that the new generation are still interested in these people and wars”, Roy says “It has become more distant and I appreciate what people have done this year”.

And with that, Roy said goodbye to the journalist students hoping at least the two-minute silence would be fine if it did not rain.

The University of Gloucestershire uploaded a 12-minute video on YouTube to remember those who fought. A socially distant memorial session with poems and stories told by a veteran and staff at the University.

For the first-year students, it was a joy to talk to Roy Roberts. Many of them with their families will make sure they remember Roy and those like him in the coming years.