PRESIDENT Dr. Mohamed Irfaan Ali on Sunday last paid tribute to our fallen soldiers, who, along with millions of others, were killed during the First and Second World Wars. The President urged that we re-dedicate ourselves as a people to the search for peace and well-being of our beloved country.

This is an annual ceremony at the Georgetown Cenotaph to pay homage to the several hundreds of then British Guianese who fought in the wars. In his remarks, President Ali reflected as follows: ‘We assemble at this war memorial on this Sunday of remembrance to call to mind the sacrifice of all those gallant men and women who gave their lives in two world wars. We are forever indebted to them for their supreme sacrifice in the cause of peace and freedom.’

Among the several Guianese casualties in the war was Stanley Roza, who reportedly died when a torpedo struck his ship in 1943; Mohamed Hosein was disabled during the war and had to return home; T R R Wood received the posthumous award of the Distinguished Flying Cross for services rendered as a pilot; Sergeant Pat Nobrega sent a letter to his family from the Japanese camp where he was imprisoned; A Rose Hall, Corentyne resident, Private Clarence Trim of the Canadian Army Corps, died in a battle in Germany on April 27, 1945; A Berbician, Leslie Augustus James of the Royal Air Force died in a hospital in England on May 19, 1945. These are just a few examples of the several Guianese casualties during the war.

The President recalled with gratitude those who, through the years have made similar personal sacrifices in the continuing struggle for human dignity, social justice and freedoms and against all forms of oppression. Among the dignitaries who laid wreaths at the ceremony were President Ali; Prime Minister Brigadier (ret’d), Mark Phillips and United States Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch.

Many Guyanese who traverse the roundabout of the Cenotaph may not have taken the time to study the significance of that historic monument, which was unveiled on August 14, 1923 by the then Governor Graeme Thompson. It is a war memorial located at the junction of Main and Church Streets. After the end of the Second World War in 1945, Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day or Remembrance Sunday and is observed on the second Sunday of November.

Apart from the loss of lives, the implications of the wars were particularly severe on several countries of the then British West Indies, including British Guiana. The war resulted in severe shortages of imported goods from Britain and North America, since many merchant ships were utilised for military transport. That led to several riots and disturbances as conditions of life deteriorated to such a point that the British Government found it necessary to set up a commission, popularly referred to as the Moyne Commission, to investigate the conditions of life in the colonies and to make recommendations. So devastating was the report that the findings were not released until after the end of the war out of fear it could be used against Britain by the German war propaganda machinery.

Significantly, British Guiana was a major supplier of high-grade bauxite to America during the war years when there was an increased demand for bauxite. Roughly two-thirds of the allied aircraft manufactured during the war years used aluminum made from Guyanese bauxite, which brought in some additional revenues to the colony, but the overall impact of the war on the economies of the regions proved disastrous.

In paying tribute to our fallen war heroes, we have to make a solemn pledge as a nation to do everything in our power to ensure that there is no recurrence of wars. Indeed, this is the best tribute we can, as a nation, pay to our fallen soldiers