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The purpose is to ensure that Guyanese remember those who made the supreme sacrifice in the two World Wars, 1914 to 1918 and 1939 to 1945. In his remarks, President of the Legion, Colonel (ret’d) Carl Morgan said, while there were wars before and after, World Wars One and Two exemplify the horrors of war.
He added that the commemoration date, November 11, marks the signing of the Armistice at the end of World War One, which was described as the war to end all wars, but that was not to be.
Morgan said the signing was done at 11:00hrs on November 11 in 1918, after more than 17 million people, both military and civilian, died in that war.
But, 21 years later, World War Two erupted. Described as the deadliest conflict the world has ever known, more than 60 million soldiers and civilians were killed, representing 2.5 percent of the world’s population, he said.
BRUTAL BATTLE
Morgan explained that, during the first Great War, a Canadian Surgeon, John McRae was particularly moved by a severely brutal battle at Ypres (Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders) when he buried his good friend.
As the dawn broke, the sun struck the scarlet poppies in the field, reminiscent of the bloodshed the day before and he wrote the now famous Poppy Day poem ‘In Flaunders Fields’.
The red poppy was adopted and worn as a symbol of remembrance since 1921.
Morgan said that in Guyana, Remembrance Day (Poppy Day) is observed on the closest Sunday to November 11, usually the second Sunday. The day is marked by parades in Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Vreed-en-Hoop, Linden, Anna Regina, Bartica, Lethem and other places around the country. However, this year, November 11 falls on a Sunday.
Morgan said, for the laying of wreaths on the wall of the Assembly Hall at Queen’s College (QC) at 11:00 hrs on November 11, the wreaths are placed between the two plaques bearing the names of the masters and students whose lives were taken during the great wars.
After the parade at the Cenotaph, in Georgetown, the British and Canadian High Commissioners and the General Secretary of Guyana Legion lay wreaths in the Military Cemetery at Eve Leary, in Georgetown.
This is followed by a reception at Coghlan House.
Unassembled poppies are sent to Guyana by fraternal organisations in the United Kingdom (U.K.) and Canada along with wreaths and the proceeds from the sale of the poppies and wreaths are used to bring some relief to the veterans and widows of the World Wars.
In recent years, some relief is provided to veterans who served after the wars, Morgan said.
“Our gratitude goes out to those teachers who sell thousands of poppies. There is no price tag on a poppy, a donation is a personal choice and, as we observe Remembrance Day, we must also remember those who gave their lives in the wars and conflicts after the Great Wars and those who continue today,” he said.
