A war veteran left almost blind by sniper fire in Iraq has described how the centenary of the Armistice has helped him say goodbye to his father who was also a soldier.

Simon Brown was hit in Basra during a mission to rescue a stranded vehicle in December 2006 – the bullet shattered both his cheek bones, destroyed his left eye and left him almost blind in the right.

The 39-year-old, who joined the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, was the fourth generation of his family to serve in the military.

His great-grandfather Joseph Brown served in Gallipoli at the start of the First World War before fighting in the Second Battle of Ypres and the Battle of Passchendaele.

His grandfather Sydney Brown joined the Army as a staff-driver at the beginning of the Second World War in the Middle East, helping deliver fuel to the front line.

But the centenary on Sunday was particularly poignant for Simon because it allowed him to pay tribute to his father Mike Brown who served in the RAF between 1968 and 1978 and passed away earlier this year.

Armistice Day 2018
Simon Brown during his career with the Army (Family handout/PA)

Sunday’s ceremony was the 11th time Simon has marched in the Veteran’s Day Parade.

He told the Press Association: “It’s been incredible. It’s the biggest crowd I have ever known, the support has been amazing. I’ve had an incredible time.”

He continued: “The centenary was quite a proud moment. I had my grandfather and my great-grandfather’s medals, and I lost my dad this year and he was a veteran so it was also a goodbye for him.”

Simon and his father last marched side-by-side in the parade in 2009.

Today he marched with Blind Veterans UK, a charity he has worked with since his injury.

“I was representing the family today so it was quite special,” he said.

“What was interesting was as we were leaving up through the Horse Guards Parade we could see the second parade (of 10,000 members of the public) and that was quite incredible seeing all those people lined up and feeling the excitement in the air from them to be able to march as well.

“It’s been quite an amazing day and it’s difficult to put into words. There was the added emotion because of the loss of my dad.

“I was grateful to Blind Veterans UK for the opportunity, everything has been really good.”

Simon previously said his family’s military history helped them understand his state of mind after his injury and helped him come to terms with it.

“They’ve been through it, they might have lost friends or seen injuries, so they weren’t frightened of it and I think that was quite useful and helpful for me,” he said.

“They were tolerant of how I felt and my mood swings, in a way that a family that had never experienced that would have struggled with.”

Discussing the importance of remembering the sacrifice of people like his relatives, he said: “War is not something to be proud of, but I think we can be proud of the courage and sacrifice of those who represent us in it.

“The situation itself is horrible, but we can learn from the courage and determination of those who stood up and said no to tyranny.

“Knowing that my family was part of that collective ‘no’ is something that I’m proud of.”