CST stands shoulder to shoulder with AJEX and British Army veteran at Remembrance Day parade

CST is proud to have stood shoulder to shoulder at the Cenotaph, with Jewish ex-servicemen and women as well as Chris Baker, a 33-year-old British Army veteran, who was a Royal Engineer before suffering permanent life-changing spinal injuries. For the first time ever, CST volunteers both protected the event and took part in the march.

AJEX (the Association of Jewish Ex Servicemen and Women) organises an annual Cenotaph remembrance ceremony which takes place in Whitehall the week after Remembrance Sunday. AJEX represents over 4,000 former servicemen and women who served in the British army. AJEX’s key work includes remembering those who have died helping to protect our future in Britain and it also cares for its elderly members. 

Chris Baker, who stood with AJEX at the Cenotaph, was a Royal engineer before he was injured in an incident in Iraq. His vehicle was hit by a remote IED and he was then subjected to a firearms attack. The attack left Chris Baker with a life-changing spinal injury, leaving him confined to a wheelchair.  

ReWalk exoskeletons, designed in Israel, are created for individuals with spinal cord injury, such as Chris. Chris’s dream was to be able to stand once again for the National Anthem, which he fulfilled whilst wearing his exoskeleton, kindly presented to him by the Gerald Ronson Family Foundation. Gerald Ronson CBE, Chairman of CST, is a strong supporter of both Army and Police causes and was proud to be able to support Chris Baker in this way.

Almost 30 committed CST volunteers marched in the event, alongside former servicemen and women. In the decades following the end of World War II and the Holocaust, security for the British Jewish community was spearheaded by AJEX. In CST’s mission to protect British Jews, CST is taking on this important role AJEX has played.

In addition to marching on the day and taking part in the ceremony at the Cenotaph, CST provided security, as it does each year at the commemoration event. The AJEX parade is one of the largest and most complex security operations which CST undertakes each year. One of the CST security managers who ran the security operation on the day stated after the event:

“Securing the AJEX Parade was a privilege and an event that so many of our volunteers want to work at. Ensuring that those who fought and their families have the chance to commemorate and pay their respects to their loved ones is something that I am proud to play a small part in.”

If you would like to help take part in CST’s crucial mission to protect the Jewish community, you can apply to be a CST volunteer.