ABOUT US
Why In Memoriam 639?
Our name comes in two halves, firstly the name, In Memoriam;
In Memoriam is a Latin phrase equivalent to "in memory (of)", referring to remembering or honouring a deceased person.
The first records of the use of in memoriam in English come from the mid-1800s.
One of the most notable uses of it is in the title of the poem In Memoriam A.H.H. by the poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson, in which he mourns the death of his dear friend Arthur Henry Hallam. The poem ends with these famous lines: “’Tis better to have loved and lost / Than never to have loved at all.”
Lord Tennyson also penned another well-known poem, this time about the action of a Cavalry charge in the Crimean War titled 'The Charge of the Light Brigade, this poem noted three lines synonymous with the ethos of a service person;
Their's not to make reply,
Their's not to reason why,
Their's but to do and die:
We as military personnel do not question an order, we go into battle knowing we may never come back, but we do it with our comrade's around us and hopefully with the backing of the nation we swore to protect.
The second part is the number, why 639?
At the time I started the social media page in memory of our fallen service personnel from the recent conflicts in the Middle East, the number of fallen personnel was 639.
The British Military has currently lost 641 personnel through operations TELIC and SHADER (Iraq & the Levant) and Operations HERRICK and TORAL (Afghanistan).
This unfortunately will not be the end, as operations continue around the world in the interest of our national security, and this number will undoubtedly change.
This doesn't just come in the form of war or hostile action, the next war on the home front is the war on mental health and in particular suicide.
2017- 13 service personnel lost to suicide.
2018- 87.
2019- 79.
2020- 87.
2021- 77.
2022- 53.
Damning statistics on something we should be able to prevent, these numbers were only started in 2017, it is not unrealistic that the number of losses since 2001 could be around 2000 (Information gathered from the group Veterans United Against Suicide VUAS).
What we're going to do.
We are aiming to run events to raise awareness and funds for charitable causes and projects to help serving and veteran personnel find affordable housing and gainful employment within the civilian sector.
Please follow the journey by subscribing to the website, following our social media and taking part in our up and coming events.
WHAT WE DO
Making A Difference
TAKE PART
Ways to Help
COULD YOU BE A WINNER?
Be a Part of Real Change
Come along on our journey to help veterans.
We are raising funds for charitable causes and to help fund our own projects too.
We will be doing so by entering events and giving you the chance to join in too.
Your chance to enter our first raffle and win an adventure to Gibraltar and back.
Click the link below.
