ATTENTION! CHILDREN’S ENCOUNTER WITH A REAL LIFE HERO

A Generation gap of 80 years didn’t stop schoolchildren from befriending a visiting Chelsea Pensioner.

Pupils from Fiskerton Church of England school met Edward Lord, a war veteran who has fought across the world, at a specially arranged visit yesterday.

Mr Lord (87), who joined the Army at 16 years old, told a class of 19 children aged between seven and 11 of his experiences of war.

He had travelled from the Royal Hospital in Chelsea to Lincoln to talk to various groups about his Army life.

Daniel Mason (nine) was particularly impressed with Mr Lord’s uniform.

“I think he looks a marching man,” said Daniel.

“I like his red coat and medals. He told us about when he was in Germany – that was interesting. It’s good what they did for the country.

“But I don’t think I would have liked to have been a soldier.”

Keagan Hempshall (10) said: “I’m glad that he, and people like him, went to war otherwise we would not be here. In a way he saved our lives.

“I asked him about his medals on his coat and about his red uniform – he looked very smart.”

Adrian Clarke, a teacher at the school, said: “We had another veteran, from the Lincolnshire Regiment, in to do our Remembrance assembly earlier this week, and with Mr Lord’s visit the children have learned a lot.

“The children were transfixed by Mr Lord – they had so many questions, which shows that the past is important to them.

“It is very important that they do remember why this country is free and the sacrifices that were made.”

Mr Lord served in India, fought in Burma and Germany, and was in France during the D-day campaign.

He said: “I thought the children were very interested and they asked a lot of questions.

“Nobody likes war, but I think that they should know more about history and about the reasons why countries go to war.

“I joined the Army at 16 after I saw the Remembrance parade at the cenotaph in London – that’s when I decided that I wanted to be a soldier.

“I told the children about what I had done as they will never experience a war like the second or first world wars.

“It has been a long day, but I have enjoyed it. I have a few more engagements in Lincoln over the next few days.”

Eddie Grantham, part-time caretaker at the school, organised the visit.

“Four years ago, I became an honorary member of the Lincolnshire Regiment and I do a lot of work with them,” he said.

“Last year I thought it would be a good idea to get these men in to talk to the children.

“They have so much experience and this is a great opportunity to pass that on.

“It is important for children to carry on learning about the world wars and soon there won’t be many veterans left. So it us up to us to ensure that we continue to teach them about all aspects of the war, on the battle front and on the home front.”