MOST of the Guyanese Ex-Servicemen from World War II have “passed on” but there are quite a few of these stalwarts still “hanging in”.

On the eve of Remembrance Day Sunday, General Secretary of the Guyana Legion, Mr. Kimberly Nelson disclosed that of the 260 servicemen who served in World War II, 68 of them were still alive and kicking though as could be expected not as active as in their younger days.
Many of the “youngsters” of World War II which lasted from 1939 to 1945 were born in the early 1920s, none later than 1925.
All are now either in their late 80s or early 90s.
Thirty-eight of those still “hanging in” are those who had served in the South Caribbean Force (SCF) in places such as Italy and Egypt.
Others had served in Guyana and in the Caribbean as part of the Home Guard Units tasked with maintaining security of strategic installations at home from German attacks.
Some of these Home Guard Ex-servicemen for example had served at Linden to protect the bauxite industry and had served at locations along the coast as look-outs.
Nelson said that over the years since the demobilization of the SCF in 1947, the Guyana Legion has been losing Ex-Servicemen at the rate of between eight and sixteen per year and the thinning of the ranks had become noticeable.
“We have lost five for this year to date,” he said.
Nelson said that many of the World War II servicemen had migrated.
“They have moved to other countries. We keep track of them. Some of them passed away in England, Canada, Barbados and so on.”
President of the Guyana Legion, Colonel (Rtd) Carl. B. Morgan MSS said that it is a sad reality that most of the veterans are bowing out.
He disclosed that the Royal Commonwealth Ex-Services league had some time ago projected that the last of the local World War II veterans would have passed on by 2015.
Morgan said the League was thinking in terms of its financial obligations to these veterans that is, when these obligations may come to an end.
Mr. Morgan however added: “Many of our veterans are going to be there long after this. This isn’t going to happen in Guyana. Some of them are in fairly good shape and I am sure they are aiming to outlive that projection.”
Gershom Browne (8 August 1898 – 6 December 2000) was the last known Guyana World War I veteran.
This war had lasted from July 28, 1914 to November 11th 1918.
Mr. Browne served in the 1st British West Indies Regiment and fought on the Western Front during the war.
The last of the World I Veteran died on 6 December 2000 at the age of 102.