Positivity: Outraged Young People Honor Vets (UK)
A heartening reaction to a sickening event (HT Good News Blog; a “yob” is “A rowdy, aggressive, or violent young man”):
YOUNG people outraged by the desecration of a war memorial have honoured veterans with their own Armistice Day parade.
Students at Hopwood Hall College in Middleton were shocked after workmen trying to restore a Collyhurst memorial for fallen soldiers were attacked by yobs.
Determined to prove not all youngsters have forgotten the sacrifices of earlier generations, they organised a guard of honour for ex-servicemen yesterday.
Four veterans from the Royal Regiment Fusiliers were invited to the college, which specialises in training students for a life in the uniformed services.
Forty youngsters volunteered for an early-morning remembrance service to allow the former soldiers to leave in time to attend a traditional regimental ceremony at 11am.
College lecturer Damien Lowden said: “They were disgusted to see people their age had done this. They wanted to do something to mark their respect for the veterans and show their thanks.”
Pupils who had only been learning how to drill and parade for four weeks were put to the test as they donned their uniforms for the parade, followed by prayers and a two-minutes silence.
One student carried a photograph of a former student, Rifleman Luke Jamieson, who was killed last year in a car accident while on duty with the First Battalion Royal Green Jackets.
The 17-year-old was the college’s first pre-services student to be killed on duty.
Pre-services section leader Terry Morley said: “The veterans were made up. They couldn’t believe how well a group of 16-year-old civilian students did it. The yobs are only a small handful of teenagers.”
