THIS coming Saturday will be Armed Forces Day, when the nation traditionally celebrates the men and women who serve in the forces.

We have had many reminders recently of just how much we owe those who put their lives on the line for their country in the past. Just a week or so ago we were remembering Lance Bombardier Matthew Hatton, from Haxby, and other local men (Marine David Hart and Trooper Ashley David Smith) who lost their lives in Afghanistan ten years ago.

At the start of the month, meanwhile, all thoughts were with the Normandy veterans who took part in the D-Day landings 75 years ago. And last November, we remembered the countless young men (and a few young women) who gave their lives in the service of their country during the First World War.

Armed Forces Day puts us in mind of Military Sunday, which for many years before and after the First World War was an important date in York's calendar. The marches and parades would draw huge crowds, demonstrating the enormous respect and affection felt for members of the Armed Forces in this military city.

The photograph on these pages today is a good example of the many photographs we have of Military Sunday parades in years past. Submitted to The Press by reader Bryan Thornton a few years ago, it shows troops leaving York Minster on Military Sunday in 1916. The crowds lining Duncombe Place are so thick there's not much room for the marching troops...

Stephen Lewis