Do we do enough to honour our fallen heroes?

ON THE stroke of 11, on the 11th day of the 11th month, the courtyard of the Erskine veterans' home fell silent as the old men in blue blazers, glinting with medals, sat in their wheelchairs and in the company of ghosts.

For each man, the two-minute silence was a solemn occasion to remember comrades who had fallen in the battlefields of France and Germany, or the streets of Belfast.

But for the man in the jeans and a camouflage jacket who leaned heavily on a crutch, the memories were more recent.

At 23, John Stonham is the youngest resident in Scotland's home for ex-servicemen and women. The oldest is 100. The honour of laying a wreath on behalf of the 75,000 veterans cared for by the centre over the past 90 years fell to the former private in the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who couldn't help but weep as he waited.

"This is a very emotional day for me," he explained. "One of our battalion was killed in Iraq and I always think of him and his family at this time."

As the Last Post echoed out over Remembrance Day services in Glasgow, Edinburgh and London, as well as amid the dust of Basra and in Helmand Province in Afghanistan, it was clear that there is growing concern among veterans of all conflicts that the "blood contract" between the state and those who bleed and die in defence of it has become increasingly diluted.

Maurice Smillie, 82, formerly of the Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders, who was a prisoner of war during the Second World War, said: "I think it is harder for soldiers today, the public don't understand what they are doing. They don't have a Churchill to lead and help them."

Mr Stonham was uncomfortable discussing his experiences on a day dedicated to remembering the dead, but he has previously spoken of feeling "chewed up and spat out". Mowed down by an oil tanker driven by insurgents in Basra in February, 2004, his pelvis was broken in six places, his thigh bone snapped in two and his spleen and bladder were ruptured. He has had 28 operations, lives on £154 a week and has yet to receive any compensation from the Ministry of Defence.

When he was released from hospital, he was given a flat in a council estate in Stranraer plagued by heroin addicts, who repeatedly attempted to steal his painkillers. He was eventually found a place at Erskine after his flat was set ablaze.

At Erskine, near Glasgow, he has found a little peace and a new friend in John Smeaton, the baggage handler who became the hero of the terrorist attack on Glasgow Airport, and who also laid a wreath at yesterday's ceremony. Mr Stonham said: "Everyone here at Erskine has been through similar experiences and that is our common bond."

In Edinburgh, hundreds gathered in the city centre as veterans led a parade. Many of those attending felt too little was being done to honour former and current soldiers. Major Bob Ritchie, 72, of Livingston, served in the Black Watch from 1951-91 and said: "These parades are very important at this time, especially with the theatres in Afghanistan and Iraq. I don't think the country honours us properly. It used to, but it fell away. It is important to keep it going."

He was accompanied by Colour Sergeant Willie Dickson, 58, of Fife, who served with the regiment from 1972-94.

He said: "It's not like it used to be, probably because of the commitments of the army. There seems to be less professional military in the parade. But today is very important for the young army. We have soldiers who are 20 or 21 fighting in two theatres of war."

In Sri Lanka, Alex Salmond visited the graves of the Commonwealth war dead in Liveramentu Cemetery in Colombo. The First Minister, who was there to see through Glasgow's bid to host the 2014 Commonwealth Games, laid a wreath made by the Lady Haig poppy factory in Edinburgh. He said: "The Commonwealth nations have come together as one family this week and it is important that we pay our respects on Remembrance Sunday to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in war. They helped to secure the freedoms that we enjoy today, and we must never forget them."

In London the Queen and other senior royals laid wreaths at the Cenotaph in Whitehall. Gordon Brown, the Prime Minister, Tory leader David Cameron, acting Liberal Democrat leader Vince Cable and more than 40 High Commissioners also lefttributes to the war dead at the Cenotaph. Prince William - an officer in the Blues and Royals - laid a wreath for the first time.

Services took place around the world, including among soldiers involved in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. In Afghanistan, 100 Royal Marines from 40 Commando held a service in front of a simple wooden cross in Helmand province.

Back at Erskine, the former soldiers enjoyed a tot of whisky in white plastic cups while Mr Stonham limped back to his flat - a small feat for most of us, but a triumph for a man doctors feared would never walk. It was left to Colonel Martin Gibson, the home's chief executive, to contemplate the public's attitude to the armed forces. He said: "It's not enough to think of them for two minutes, one day a year. We owe them so much more."