(Photo: Getty/iStock)
Each year on Remembrance Sunday, we pause in silence to honour those who laid down their lives in war. It’s a moment that never fails to move me — a reminder that courage is costly, and that freedom was paid for by ordinary men and women who chose to act, even when fear and danger surrounded them. Their bravery still calls us to live differently today.
One of the most inspiring stories I know is that of Desmond Doss, a medic credited with saving 75 men during one of World War II’s fiercest battles on Okinawa. At the end of Hacksaw Ridge, the movie based on his life, we see actual footage of Doss in an interview. Gentle and unassuming, he shares what kept him going through 12 gruelling hours under fire: “I was praying the whole time. I just kept praying, ‘Lord, please help me get one more.’”
That prayer became his lifeline. He focused on one life — and God answered his cry 75 times that night. Doss did not try to save everyone at once. He simply asked for the strength to take one more step, make one more rescue, and not stop until the very last man was safe.
Let me bring this closer to home by sharing the story of William Coltman — Britain’s most decorated non-commissioned officer in history. I first heard about him through my friend Phil Coltman, his grandson.
William’s relatively untold story is astonishing. He was a softly spoken Sunday school teacher from Burton-upon-Trent who stood just 5ft 4in tall and barely met the height requirement to enlist. Yet this unassuming man went on to perform some of the most daring rescues of the entire war.
One terrifying night under heavy fire, as William listened to the cries of wounded comrades, he vowed never to carry a rifle again and requested to retrain as a stretcher bearer.
This role was among the most dangerous on the front line. With only 16 men assigned to an entire battalion of around a thousand, they crawled through mud, bullets, and shellfire to reach the wounded and carry them back to safety. It was slow, exhausting, back-breaking work — but it saved lives.
On September 28, 1918, near the St. Quentin Canal, Coltman worked without rest, rescuing man after man under relentless artillery fire. Days later, when he heard that wounded soldiers had been left behind near Mannequin Hill, he went back alone, treating their wounds and carrying them out, one by one on his back. For this extraordinary courage, he was awarded the Victoria Cross, the highest military honour.
Both Doss and Coltman teach us that courage is often quiet, steady, and focused. Their actions show that one person’s faith and determination can tip the balance between life and death.
And that is where remembrance challenges me most. We may not be on a battlefield today, but we still live in what CS Lewis called ‘enemy-occupied territory’. Millions of men, women, and children are trapped in modern slavery — girls sold into brothels, boys forced into bonded labour, children abducted as soldiers. Their cries are no less urgent than the ones heard by Coltman on the battlefield.
Since founding One By One, a charity focused on ending exploitation of the vulnerable across the world, we have seen the power of one life time and time again.
Our newly opened Mercy Centre in Uganda has already provided safety, healing, and education for many girls who were once exploited, giving them hope for the future and the chance to rebuild their lives with dignity.
Recently, we welcomed two sisters, aged just six and nine, who had been trafficked by a man who forced them to dance in the street for money. He kept everything they earned, leaving them hungry, homeless, and vulnerable to abuse. When they arrived, they were frightened and traumatised, but today, thanks to our amazing team, they are safe — and their trafficker is behind bars.
But there are many more still waiting for someone to go behind enemy lines for them.
This is where remembrance must turn to action. If Coltman could go back into enemy fire for one more man, and if Doss could keep praying for strength to rescue one more, perhaps we can ask God to help us do the same in our time.
This season, as we honour those who risked everything for others, may we have the courage to pray: “Lord, use me — to save just one more.”
Becky Murray is the founder and CEO of One By One, a charity working with victims of human trafficking across the world. Visit www.onebyone.org for more information.
