My first Cenotaph march-past and my first Remembrance Day Parade out of uniform, pictured with the surviving niece of Captain Professor Sir Michael Howard MC, a gay veteran of the D-Day landings, academic and campaigner; and Professor Michael Codner of the RUSI, author of ‘Arthur and The Briton’ and former RN officer. Proud as I was to fulfil this ambition, we were a loooong time waiting to march off, and our feet froze almost solid (better than rain, mind!) A true privilege in every sense.