“Lest we forget” – Remembrance Day 2017 observed
DPI, Guyana, Sunday, November 12, 2017
Government officials, members of the military and diplomatic corps along with veterans from the Guyana Legion and many others, on Sunday morning braved the rainy weather, to commemorate Remembrance Day at the Cenotaph Monument, Georgetown.
President, David Granger laying the first wreath at the Cenotaph, Georgetown.
The ceremony held under the theme “Lest we forget,” began with a military parade followed by the Presidential Salute and two minutes of silence to acknowledge those who served and those fallen in World Wars I and II.
Prayers from the three main religious groups were observed after which wreaths were laid by President David Granger, Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense Force, Brigadier Patrick West, President of Guyana’s Veterans Legion, Lieutenant Colonel (retd.) George Gomes and other members of the Diplomatic Corps.
In a brief statement, President David Granger acknowledged the men and women who served in both Wars and those who have given service to the military over the years.
Prime Minister, Moses Nagamootoo walks to lay the second wreath at the Cenotaph, Georgetown.
The Cenotaph is a war memorial to Guyanese soldiers who fought in Egypt, France, Belgium, and East Africa and lost their lives in World Wars I and II.
At the end of World War II in 1945, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day or Remembrance Sunday and is usually observed on the first or second Sunday of November. The poppies worn by persons who participate in observances are part of the Poppy Appeal launched annually to ensure that those who made the sacrifice in the two Great Wars (1914- 1918) and (1939 – 1945) are remembered.
In Guyana, Remembrance Day is observed on the Sunday closest to November 11. The day is marked by parades in Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Vreed-en-Hoop, Linden, Anna Regina, Bartica, Lethem and other towns around the country. The commemoration date November 11 marks the signing of the Armistice at the end of World War 1.
By: Crystal Stoll
the Cenotaph, Georgetown.
DSC_0055- Some members of the military at the early morning March Parade.
Some of the surviving veterans of World Wars I and II at the Remembrance Day Observance 2017.
Members of the Diplomatic Corps waiting to lay the wreaths at the Cenotaph, Georgetown.