The annual commemoration for service men and women from the Commonwealth who served with the Allied Forces during the First and Second World Wars was held at the Memorial Gates in central London this week.
This year the ceremony also remembered Baroness Shreela Flather, who passed away last month and had inspired the project and helped found the gates which stand on Constitution Hill. The annual wreath laying ceremony was attended by significant individuals including High Commissioners, Foreign Ministers, Speaker of the House of Commons, and the Secretary General of the Commonwealth.
Lord Karan Bilimoria, Chairman of the Memorial Gates Council, said: “The Memorial Gates Ceremony on Commonwealth Day commemorates the service and sacrifice of the five million volunteers from South Asia, Africa and the Caribbean in the First and Second World Wars.
“This year we are commemorating the 80th anniversary of the battles of Imphal and Kohima. These battles witnessed the most extraordinary bravery, and I am very proud that my late father Lieutenant General Bilimoria’s battalion, the second/5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force) were awarded two out of the 5 Victoria Crosses at the Battle of Imphal, Subedar Netrabahadur Thapa (post) and Naik Agansing Rai VC, who I was privileged to know since birth.
“The sacrifice and bravery of those who fought in the battles of Imphal and Kohima, will be an inspiration to us all forever.”
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The event was hosted by the Memorial Gates Council in partnership with the Royal British Legion and the Right Reverend Saju Muthulaly, Bishop of Loughborough, led the prayers.
Meanwhile, British Army Soldiers from across the Commonwealth marched 100km carrying 15kg weighted packs to honour their Commonwealth forebears who valiantly fought alongside the British Army during two World Wars. The uniformed march began at the Chhatri Memorial just outside Brighton on March 8 and concluded at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates in London on March 11 – Commonwealth Day.
Commonwealth Day has been celebrated on the second Monday in March every year since 1977 as a celebration of the 56-member organisation, including a commemorative service at Westminster Abbey. The theme for this year’s Commonwealth Day and the forthcoming Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa later this year is “One Resilient Common Future: Transforming our Common Wealth”.
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Secretary General of the Commonwealth Baroness Scotland said: “As we celebrate Commonwealth Day in an increasingly unstable world, we would do well to remember the many Commonwealth citizens whose lives were lost in the pursuit of peace.”
*Info: Memorial Gates