NASSAU, The
Bahamas – The annual Remembrance Day Service will be observed on Sunday,
November 9, 2014 at Christ Church Cathedral at 11am, in honour of those men and
women who fought for the country in world war, The Cabinet Office has
announced.
Immediately following the church service, a number of youth
organizations will march in processional from the Cathedral to the Cenotaph in
the Garden of Remembrance, where a short but moving ceremony organized by the
Bahamas Christian Council, will be held.
Wreaths will be laid by the Governor-General, the Prime
Minister, the Honourable Chief Justice, the Honourable President of the Senate,
the Honourable Speaker of the House of Assembly, members of the Diplomatic
Corps, and representatives of the armed and civic services.
Prior to this, the British Legion Bahamas Branch will hold a
Pre-Memorial Service at the Veterans Ceremony on Infant View Road on Sunday,
November 9 at 9:30 am. The Governor-General
is also expected to lay a wreath and bring remarks.
World War I ended officially at the 11th hour on the 11th
day of the 11th month in 1918 and November 11th was set aside in the United
Kingdom, United States and France as a Day of Remembrance for those who had
given their lives in the war. It was known as Armistice Day.
It was from this
date, November 11, 1918 that the Government of The Bahamas made the decision to
commemorate Remembrance Day on the nearest Sunday to that date hence, the
selection of the second Sunday. World War II ended in 1945.
During both wars, The Bahamas was under the rule of Great
Britain and hence, men and women enlisted to serve in various capacities. Their
names appear on a plaque at the base of the Cenotaph, the monument erected in
their honour.
A number of The Bahamas war veterans are members of the
Bahamas Chapter of the British Legion, formerly known as The Bahamas
Ex-Servicemen Association formed after World War II.
Also associated with Remembrance Day is the wearing of the
poppy – a beautiful red flower said to be one of the few things that survived
in the battlefields of Northern France during World War I. The flower also
represents the bloodshed of all those who died during that war.
Another significant aspect of the Remembrance Day Service is
the Last Post and Reveille – the sounding of the final bugle call of the day
signaling the end of the soldier’s day, which can be traced back to when the
British Army was on campaign in the Netherlands.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force Band still continues this
practice, which has become a staple at all State and Military Funerals. It symbolizes the “end of the soldier’s day,”
in as much as the dead soldier has finished his duty and can rest in peace.
The Cabinet Office appointed a Remembrance Day Committee to
plan and execute the activities honouring the war veterans. The committee is
headed by Michael Humes, First Assistant Secretary at the Cabinet Office and
chairman of the Remembrance Day Planning Committee. Other committee members are
from Christ Church Cathedral, British Legion Bahamas Branch, Ministry of
Foreign Affairs Protocol Division, the Bahamas Christian Council, Ministry of
Works & Urban Development, the Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Royal
Bahamas Defence Force, the Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture, Bahamas
Information Services (BIS), The Broadcasting Corporation of The Bahamas (ZNS),
the Government Printing Department, and other relevant agencies.