THEY say the sun shines on the righteous and nowhere is that more true than in Parliament Square last Friday.
More than 2,000 former Royal Marines gathered for the second time to remember their comrade Alexander Blackman, who was sentenced to eight years for shooting a fatally wounded Taliban in Afghanistan in 2011.
I’d travelled to the rally by train, joining three smartly-dressed veterans I’d met at Poole station.
Arriving in the square, we were greeted by a sea of green berets, flags and banners, with the words “Once a Marine, always a Marine” inscribed on them.
All of us are determined that Mr Blackman’s years of exemplary service to our country will not be forgotten.
But, it’s more than that.
During several excellent speeches, Mr Blackman’s QC, Jonathan Goldberg, told the crowd that there’d been a grave miscarriage of justice and that the lesser offence of manslaughter should have been considered due to “extraordinary mitigating circumstances”.
Having defended clients in court for 45 years, he added: “It’s my privilege sometimes to defend wonderful individuals for whom life has gone wrong by a sudden unforeseeable roll of the dice, or lightning stroke of ill fortune. Royal Marine Sgt Alexander Blackman is one of those. I will spare no effort to secure the release of this fine man.”
Last autumn, Mr Goldberg submitted a dossier to the Criminal Cases Review Commission, the only body which can decide whether this case is sent back to the courts.
If it is, Mr Goldberg can immediately apply for bail.
What a Christmas present it would be if Mr Blackman could be reunited with his brave and dignified wife, Claire.
She spoke briefly at the rally, before her adoring Royal Marines took her off for a well-earned drink.