TWO visibly impaired veterans from County Durham described marching past the Cenotaph in London today (Sunday, November 11) as a moving and emotionally charged experience.

Brian Gibson, a town councillor in Ferryhill, and Robert Dawson from Trimdon Station, near Sedgefield, joined hundreds of ex-servicemen and women from across the UK for the Remembrance Day march.

The pair were marching on behalf of Blind Veterans UK - a charity that has made an enormous difference to both of their lives.

Mr Gibson, 72, who served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) for six years during the cold war, said: “It was absolutely marvellous – the height of emotion. It was just wonderful to be amongst all those people and to hear the large crowds cheering for us.

“I was marching for Blind Veterans UK and I met young lads who have been serving in Afghanistan. Not only have they lost their sight but they have lost limbs as well. It is heartbreaking.”

Mr Dawson, 75, served with 10th Royal Hussars while completing his National Service.

He said it had been one of the best and most emotional days of his life.

“Standing there at 11am when the gun went off and then the complete silence that followed was very moving,” he said. “I was thinking about my Uncle Bill who was a prisoner of war.”