In many senses, today was the final farewell. The eightieth anniversary of the Armistice is the last major milestone veterans of the Great War will see.

That knowledge has added a special poignancy to this remembrance season. We have listened more closely than ever to the survivors' stories of the horror and the heroism, knowing that soon all there will be is silence.

For a few moments today, we averted our gaze from the forthcoming Millennium in order to glance back to the early years of the century.

It is hard for modern generations to imagine war; we take peace and prosperity as our right. But we need only read the horrific tales in our special First World War supplement tonight to be reminded of the price others paid to win that right.

We sent boys as young as the century on a walk to their deaths in the 1914-18 conflict. Yet for many years it was the Forgotten War. Our memories were dominated by the later conflict.

That changed this year. The remaining heroes of the Great War, men like John Clemit who received the Legion D'Honneur from the Lord Mayor of York today, are again at the forefront of our minds.

This renewed interest is heartening. Young people are learning of the war through exhibitions, like that being staged by City of York Council, or by journeying to the French battlefields.

Yet, as the Great War fades from living memory, some have questioned the need to continue with a national Remembrance Day. It is a view which meets with little support.

While it remains important to look to the future, we cannot forget our past. The prosperity we enjoy today is built on the sacrifice of those who went to war in 1914 and 1939.

It is also a time to remember those who gave their lives in more recent conflicts, such as those in the Falklands and the Gulf.

The act of remembrance is also a reminder of our great good fortune at living in the right place at the right time.

We often congratulate ourselves for sustaining 50 years of peace in Europe. But we have achieved no such thing, as the ongoing horrors in Kosovo demonstrate.

We are lucky to live in the wealthy and peaceful part of our continent. As we commemorate the war to end all wars today, it is a sobering thought that war goes on all around us.

see NEWS 'The highest honour for York's war hero'

see NEWS 'The hand of comfort'

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.