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Veteran attends Cenotaph ceremony for first time

BBC A man with a brown moustache is wearing a green beret, a sand coloured Shemagh Scarf around his neck, and a navy suit with a black tie and poppy badge. He is looking off to the side as he is being interviewed for BBC television news. BBC
Jonny Ball served in Afghanistan and has since founded a veterans' community group

An Afghanistan war veteran has attended the Remembrance Day commemorations at the Cenotaph in London for the first time.

Jonny Ball, a former serviceman and Invictus Games athlete from Wellingborough in Northamptonshire, led 60 members of the Afghanistan Veterans Community past the Cenotaph on Sunday.

2024 marks a decade since British troops withdrew from Afghanistan, a conflict that claimed the lives of 454 UK soldiers.

Mr Ball said it was "quite the weekend" and the event "unified the shared experiences of Afghanistan".

Reuters King Charles stands with other royals and politicians, with a large crowd of onlookers as they attend the Remembrance Sunday Service at the Cenotaph in London. Reuters
King Charles and politicians attended the Remembrance Day commemorations at the Cenotaph

Hundreds of people took part in parades and services across the county for Remembrance Day on Sunday.

The Afghanistan Veterans Community, which Mr Ball co-founded, has 150,000 members, 60 of whom attended Sunday's Cenotaph march.

Mr Ball said the Afghanistan contingent were "so proud" and wanted to be considered a "national strategic asset" for their local communities rather than "victims".

Mr Ball added: "I will think about Sqn Ldr Ed Downing who was in my class at the defence school of languages, and L/Cpl Ollie Thomas who's repatriation I did at RAF Brize Norton.

"I had the proud honour of carrying him on my shoulders and bringing him back home.

"I'll be thinking of them today."

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