Column: Fred Hassell On Remembrance Day
[Opinion column written by Fred Hassell]
May the Angels remember them….
Canon Thomas Nisbett, John W. DeShields, Captain Edgar Ward, Winston Minors, Dr. W.L. Tucker, and, of course, your loved ones—brave Bermudians who served in both World Wars.
Our family members and neighbors served in frontline combat roles across Europe, the Mediterranean, and the Middle East. They served in various capacities, including handling ammunition, garrison duties, as air pilots and merchant marines, infantry riflemen, machine gunners, mortar men, artillery soldiers, medics, and division commanders.
In the late 1970s and 1980s, I met several war veterans and home guard servicemen. They shared their stories, songs, and wartime jokes during seniors’ luncheons, featuring delicious brisket of beef and cabbage served by renowned chef and veteran Gerald Tuzo, a tradition Sergeant George Tucker and Joyce Butterfield at Admiralty House continued.
While Remembrance Sunday and the Remembrance Day Parades bring sadness and forlornness, as most of the veterans we turned up to cheer have passed, we continue with wreath-laying, music, hymn singing, and band marches at parades to remember them.
For an enhanced Remembrance Day experience, take a moment to review the key elements, events, and ceremonies associated with the Remembrance Day Service and Parade.
Remembrance Day is observed at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month to mark the armistice that ended World War I. During this time, a two-minute silence is held to honour those who lost their lives in the world wars. Poppy Wreaths, which symbolize the flowers that grew on battlefields after World War I, are laid at the Cenotaph and the War Memorial on the Cabinet grounds.
As previously mentioned, most veterans have passed away, so family members participate in the parade on their behalf. The Royal Bermuda Regiment performs The Last Post; the Premier, the Governor, the Mayor of Hamilton, and other dignitaries will lay wreaths at the Cenotaph and observe two minutes of silence at 11:00 a.m.
I end this piece with quotes from traditional music and prayers that you may use in your private devotions to remember veterans from the two World Wars who made the ultimate sacrifice during this season of remembrance.
O God, our help in ages past . . . .
O God, our help in ages past, Our hope for years to come
Our shelter from the stormy blast, And our eternal home . . . .
Act of Remembrance for Veterans
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
The Last Post
We pray for those who made the great sacrifice during the two World Wars;
All those who have given their lives in the service of their country. . . .
Reveille
When you go home, tell them of us and say:
For your tomorrow we gave our today.
[Kohima Epitaph, from Simonides [556- 468 BC], by John M. Edmonds [1875-1958]
- Fred Hassell
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