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Second World War Veterans Warn Against Brexit
Second World War veterans have warned against risking instability in Europe by pulling out of the EU.
Four war heroes, including former head of the military Field Marshal Lord Bramall, recorded messages of support as David Cameron highlighted the cost paid by Britain to bring peace to Europe.
The Prime Minister, who has vowed to make the "patriotic" case for a Remain vote in the referendum on European Union membership on June 23, referred to the "serried rows of white headstones" in continental cemeteries to illustrate the historic ties between the UK and its neighbours.
RAF veteran Harry Leslie Smith said:
"Britain is stronger in Europe because it reflects the values my generation fought for in Europe during the Second World War."
D-Day veteran and former Royal Marine Patrick Churchill warned: "If it breaks or we are not in that union, then countries will fall apart.
"The only solution is to bind together, hold together, there we find strength."
Field Marshal Lord Bramall, former chief of the defence staff, said: "We would be going backwards, not forwards in what we set out to cure after the terrible tragedies of the Second World War." RAF veteran David Meylan said:
"We sacrificed many, many men in both world wars and this was to establish a peaceful and a prosperous union. We can't sacrifice that now."
The Prime Minister, meanwhile, highlighted the sacrifices made by British personnel to secure peace in Europe in a major speech in London. He said:
"Our history teaches us: the stronger we are in our neighbourhood, the stronger we are in the world.
"Isolationism has never served this country well. Whenever we turn our back on Europe, sooner or later we come to regret it. We have always had to go back in, and always at much higher cost."
"The serried rows of white headstones in lovingly tended Commonwealth war cemeteries stand as silent testament to the price this country has paid to help restore peace and order in Europe.
"And if things go wrong in Europe, let's not pretend we can be immune from the consequences."
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