Hanover salutes veterans of Remembrance Day
Published:Tuesday | November 10, 2020 | 12:09 AMBryan Miller/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
Inclement weather and the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic did not stop residents of Hanover from paying tribute on Sunday to the parish’s servicemen who served in World Wars I and II.
Led by Custos Dr David Stair, himself the son of a World War II veteran, they gave thanks for the contribution their servicemen made to the war efforts in a church service in Lucea, ahead of the official Remembrance Day on November 11.
Stair told The Gleaner that Remembrance Day holds a special place in his heart and that he could not see himself missing the service.
“This event is of such importance to us, so much so that we should celebrate it regardless of what,” said Stair. “There are a lot of things that we take for granted today, and things could have gone very different if some people had not made the sacrifice during the war.”
World War I armistice
Remembrance Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an internationally recognised and observed day, in celebration of the signing of the armistice to end World War I on November 11, 1918.
While the customary parade by uniform groups and representatives from civic and community groups was scrapped because of COVID-19 concerns, at the end of the church service, three wreaths – donated by the custos, the Hanover Justices of the Peace Association, and the Jamaica Legion– were laid at the altar in honour of the war veterans.
Come next year, Stair is hoping that like 12 of the nation’s 14 parishes, Hanover will have a cenotaph to memorialise its servicemen lost in the wars. He had earlier indicated this year that plans were afoot to have the monument erected at the Hanover Parish Church by the end of this year.
Westmoreland is the other parish without a cenotaph, which is a tomb-like monument in the form of gravesite to symbol a final resting place for persons who have fallen in battle and have been interred elsewhere.
“I am working along with the Hanover Justices of the Peace Association and the Jamaica Legion in seeing to the construction of a cenotaph on the parish church grounds,” Stair said.
Between 4,000 and 5,000 Jamaicans were involved in the two World Wars. Some of them served in the Royal Air Force, while others joined the ground forces of the British Army and the Canadian Armed Forces.