The day is meant to remember the brave men and women who fought and died during the World Wars and other conflicts.
The commemoration and laying of wreaths led by the British Deputy High Commissioner Martin Norman was to honour these heroes at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery, Fajara.
It was attended by high profile dignitaries including Gambia Minister for Defence, Hon. Sering Modou Njie, British Defence Adviser to The Gambia, Lieutenant Colonel Sigolene Habson RE, Minister for Interior, Hon Abdoulie Sanyang, Chief of Defence Staff, Inspector General of Police, Members of the Diplomatic and Consular Corps, religious leaders, and some other personalities and pupils from the British School.
Speaking at the commemoration, the Deputy High Commissioner, Martin Norman welcomed the gathering to what he called an Act of Remembrance.
“Thank you for joining us as we commemorate all those who, during the two World Wars and other conflicts since, made the ultimate sacrifice to secure and protect our freedom.”
He said, today, as people should do every day, “we remember those who volunteered, sacrificed, served, fought and died, for our freedom.”
The Deputy Ambassador recalled that 20 million soldiers died in these Great Wars, over a century ago, noting “the poppy we wear is a very deliberate reminder of those battlefields of Europe."
More importantly, he added that it’s not a symbol of triumph or victory but "serves to remind us of the harsh reality of conflict. It is a sign of both remembrance and hope for a peaceful future.”
At the end of the Great War, he explained: “When an armistice was signed on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, it was said that this marked the conclusion of the war to end all wars. We know, sadly, not least from the graves around us that tragedy continued through the Second World War. And our news bulletins tell us that the tragedy continues in 2024, with people killed in conflict every single day. Sacrifice for that freedom, we will never forget, we will remember you.”
Before a two-minute silence was observed for the fallen heroes, Jo Ashle, Third Secretary read the Act of Remembrance which was followed by the Exhortation extracted from ‘For the Fallen’ read by Lieutenant Colonel Sigolene Habson RE, and then a two-minute silence, followed by the laying of wreaths in honour of the World Wars veterans.
