Medic 'honoured' to carry Book of Remembrance

Mrs Lawrence, centre, carried the book alongside her former colleague

A former Army medic said it was "a huge honour" to carry the Book of Remembrance at this year's Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall.

The book is a permanent record that commemorates the lives lost from war and other military operations, listing the names and dates of those who are to be remembered.

Hayley Lawrence, from Belper in Derbyshire, served for 20 years in the military as a combat medical technician and survived an explosion on a tour of Afghanistan in 2011, which, sadly, claimed the life of her Lieutenant.

After she was medically discharged, Mrs Lawrence became a clinical nurse educator at Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust.

Mrs Lawrence said the applause was "overwhelming" and the event was a "lovely end" to her military career

The event was particularly meaningful as she was reunited with veteran Alex Lowe, who she treated after the explosion in Afghanistan.

Mrs Lawrence had not seen him for 10 years after they served in 1st Battalion, The Rifles.

As she carried the book alongside Mr Lowe, singer Alexandra Burke performed the song Rise Up.

"I don't really know how to describe it - to be able to do it with him," she said.

"Obviously, I've got quite a few names in there that I know. So that was a real huge honour for their families to be able to carry that book and place it."

Describing her experience at the event, Mrs Lawrence said: "So we're behind the curtain at the top of the stairs. And then the curtains open, and we got a standing ovation, and the noise level is immense, and it really kind of takes your breath away.

Hayley Lawrence said carrying the book gave her "closure"

"The shock of how many people are there and probably connected to a lot of those names in the book as well, which is really, really humbling. It was just very powerful, and I cried a lot that weekend."

King Charles and other members of the Royal Family stood to applaud Mr Lowe and Mrs Lawrence as they brought the book on stage.

The mother-of-two stayed in the Army and transferred to mental health nursing after receiving help for her own post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

She qualified as a mental health nurse last year before her discharge and also teaches student doctors on their psychiatric placement in Derby.

"Because I'd gone through therapy, and I really took to it, and I thought 'that's kind of what I wanted to do and help other people'," she said.

Mrs Lawrence served as an Army medic for 20 years