INFO · Search
· Chinese version · Subscribe

Politics

Remembrance Day ceremony in Central honors fallen war heroes

Hundreds of people gathered at the Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph in Central on Sunday, with government officials, representatives of the Commonwealth countries and embassies, veterans, and their families in attendance.

It was November 11 of 1918 when the German Empire surrendered to the Allies, therefore ending World War Ⅰ. Remembrance Day is observed on this day each year to commemorate those who died in both World Wars.

The Cenotaph in Central, Hong Kong, reads with the inscription,“The souls never died,” in Chinese alongside the beginning and end dates of the First and Second World Wars.

The estimated casualties of military and civilians in World War Ⅰ and Ⅱ are at least 16.5 million and 60 million, respectively.

Ex-servicemen from The Hong Kong Military Service Corps salute during the two-minute silence.

This year, a complete format of the ceremony was restored, after having been changed to a simplified rundown because of the pandemic, with the presence of the Police Marching Band. The band played the traditional British piece “Colonel Bogey March,” at the start of the ceremony. 

A two-minute silence was observed at 11 am. Government officials and representatives then laid their poppy wreaths beneath the Cenotaph. Ex-serviceman put down donated wreaths on behalf of members of the public. The wreaths will remain in place for three days.

Poppies, symbols of remembrance, are donated by representatives from different social groups, such as the Gurkha Rifles.

Representatives of different religions, including the Catholic church, Taoist and Muslim community led the prayers along with veteran representatives.

"This is an annual occasion for me and it is remembering those that went to war and did not come back to their homes," said John T. Siewert, a 98 year-old veteran, who served on the USS Satterlee Destroyer in 1944. 

Siewart is believed to be the only one at the ceremony who participated in the war. He steered the Destroyer during the landing of Normandy to break the German defenses.

Siewert said that he is fortunate to be able to attend the ceremony, as some of his comrades were sacrificed, and he was able to retire safely from the battlefield.

John T. Siewert with his family and staff from the French embassy attended the ceremony.

“I have to let my children know how terrible wars are,” said Joseph Miller, who attended the ceremony along with his four year-old son. 

Miller criticized the ongoing war between Russian and Ukraine, calling it “barbaric and horrific.” 

“May there be no war when my son grows up,” Miller said.

《The Young Reporter》

The Young Reporter (TYR) started as a newspaper in 1969. Today, it is published across multiple media platforms and updated constantly to bring the latest news and analyses to its readers.

Comments

Hong Kong International medical fair uncovers new tech and connections

M+ museum marks 1st anniversary with debut of Yayoi Kusama exhibition, starts charging for admission