MP Alan Campbell column: Veterans need our support more than ever

Winston Churchill wrote that their actions were crucial to the outcome of the war.

Tommy Brown, remarkably a civilian NAAFI worker at the time, was awarded the George Medal. His story is told in a room dedicated to him in The Exchange in North Shields.

As remembrance weekend approaches we pay tribute to Tommy, his fallen colleagues and all the other servicemen and women who have served our country.

This year we particularly remember those who fought, and some of whom made the ultimate sacrifice in the Falklands conflict 40 years ago.

Our region has traditionally been a recruiting area for the armed forces and the long list of names on the many memorials testify to the heavy cost of conflict. Ordinary people capable of doing extraordinary things.

But our debt is more than paying our respects and laying wreaths. It is making sure that veterans receive the ongoing support they need, particularly mental health care.

Governments would be well advised to remember before cutting benefits and pensions that this was a previous generation who played their part.

And servicemen and women are still playing their part at the forefront of supporting and training Ukrainian forces defending freedom against the illegal invasion by Putin.

Service, integrity and respect are enduring British values worth defending and our attitude towards our armed forces and veterans must embody those values.