Kirsteen Sullivan

I thank the right hon. Member for that point, which he made very well. Indeed, my grandfather served in Burma, yet that story is not really known in our family as it was a story not told at the time. It is important to bring those stories into the light and to hear about the sacrifices, which are quite unimaginable to many people of our generation. It is important that those stories continue to be told. The National Memorial Arboretum has a dedicated memorial to the Lisbon Maru tragedy, and it graciously hosts the families for a memorial ceremony every year, for which I know the relatives and the country are grateful. People have memorials in their communities to commemorate the personal loss of war and provide a focal point for remembrance. In a detached and inhumane conflict that seems far away, the consequences are felt by the empty seats around the dinner table at home. From the conflict of the second world war, the world developed humanitarian law and more humane treatment of prisoners, which has underpinned our international community for decades. It is important that we recommit ourselves to learn those lessons and, as we have heard throughout this evening, that we continuously strive to win the peace. The best way to remind ourselves and teach our young people is to show that the tragedies of war are universal and felt everywhere. A new memorial to the Lisbon Maru would be an excellent place to learn just that: the bravery of those men who suffered as prisoners of war and of the fishermen, but also the horrors of war that must not be repeated. My constituency is no stranger to powerful memorials. The Bathgate hills host a memorial to those who died in the Korean war of the 1950s. It is a beautiful, peaceful and sobering place to reflect on those killed, captured and maimed very far from home. Its presence encourages us to spark conversations with new generations about the lessons of the past, and the sacrifices that were made for their future. The Minister for Veterans and People, my hon. Friend the Member for Birmingham Selly Oak (Al Carns), has been a welcome advocate in my constituency, not just with the new VALOUR guarantees set out by this Government, but his personal support for a local memorial to the women in wartime who worked in hazardous conditions in a munitions factory. While the dedicated work of Gerry and the Lisbon Maru Memorial Association will ensure that the legacy lives on, I ask the Minister to consider supporting a new national memorial closer to home for the families of the Royal Scots, commemorating those who survived, those who died and their rescuers. A memorial in Scotland will provide a space for families like Gerry’s to share their stories and remember together. Finally, I thank Gerry for sharing his family’s personal story with me—a story of two young men, far from home, facing inconceivable horrors—and for allowing me to record it in this place.