In this week's MP column, David Williams, MP for Stoke-on-Trent North and Kidsgrove, reflects on Rememberance Day.

In September, I stood in Burslem Cemetery on a bright, still morning as a new cross was unveiled over the grave of Private Alfred William Holdcroft.

Alfred was a soldier from our city who survived the Battle of the Somme, only to tragically die later from his wounds. For years, his grave lay unmarked until Mike Lightfoot and a group of local campaigners refused to let his story be forgotten.

As the cross was revealed, I looked around and saw generations of Burslem families standing quietly together. It reminded me that remembrance isn't an annual ceremony; it's something we live. It's a community that says: "You matter, and we won't let you forget it".

A little while later, I met family members of Jack Baskeyfield VC, who lost his life at Arnhem 81 years ago.

Jack's courage has long been a part of our city's story - an ordinary man who, in extraordinary circumstances, stood his ground when others could not. Meeting his relatives reminded me that behind every act of heroism are families who proudly carry that legacy for decades.

Moments like these make the "why" very clear. We remember the fallen not only because of what they gave, but because we owe something to those who came home.

The duty we have to veterans is not only about gratitude, it's about justice.

Too many of those who have served still face battles that no medal can shield them from: homelessness, poor mental health, unemployment. The Government's new Valor Initiative - a £50 million programme that brings together health, housing and employment support - is about tackling that. It's about going beyond remembrance and truly honouring veterans.

Alongside this work, we are strengthening the Armed Forces Covenant, making sure public bodies like schools, councils and the NHS always treat veterans and their families fairly.

We must recognise that the brave men and women who served our country, as well as their families, face inbuilt challenges, like frequent relocations and the inability to put down roots.

And with the creation of an Armed Forces Commissioner, we will make sure that when something goes wrong, someone is there to put it right. Put simply, this is about writing dignity into law.

None of this will change everything overnight. However, together, these steps mean fewer people falling through the cracks, and more of those who served being able to rebuild their lives with pride.

As Remembrance Day approaches, I'll be thinking of the brave men and women who served, and of the families who carried their memory home.

I'll think of Alfred Holdcroft's new cross, and of the memorial soon to be reinstated for the fallen workers of the Doulton Factory in Burslem. Their stories remind us that freedom is never inherited by chance; it must be defended by every generation.

I was fortunate to be born in a time of relative peace when the rule of law and equality for all not only accepted, but cherished as democratic norms. But those freedoms were secured by my parents' and grandparents' generations, who stood firm against fascism and fought for the simple idea that every human being deserves dignity.

Today, the people of Ukraine are showing that same courage in the face of aggression, proving once again that the fight for liberty and human dignity is never over.

That, in the end, is what remembrance truly means: not just looking back with gratitude, but living forward with purpose.

To honour those who risked everything, we must build a country where no one who served is left to face their battles alone.