Government ministers and senior civil servants came together on Sunday 14 Nov. for annual Remembrance Day celebrations at Elmslie Memorial Church in George Town, and elsewhere in Cayman and the UK.
This year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, the sombre affair did not take its usual form of a church service and parades viewed by scores of onlookers. Instead, private wreath-laying ceremonies were held, including one on the grounds of Elmslie Memorial Church.
“Unfortunately, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the risks posed to elderly and vulnerable veterans, we were unable to have our traditional annual parade,” said Chief of Protocol Meloney Syms, in a statement issued by Government Information Services.
Syms added, “Instead, we invite members of the public to visit both memorial locations to lay wreaths privately while observing COVID-19 safety protocols”.
Although there was no parade, heads of the various uniform groups in Cayman were present at the gathering in a show of support.
These included heads of the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service, Regiment, Coast Guard, Fire Service and Her Majesty’s Cayman Islands Prison Service.
Also present were the heads of the Girls Brigade, Boy Scouts, Cadet Corps, Pathfinders, and the Lion’s Club of Grand Cayman and Tropical Gardens.
According to GIS, 49 wreaths were laid across memorial sites on Grand Cayman and Cayman Brac.
“Today we honour the many heroes who sacrificed their lives for our freedom, with special mention to our local heroes who rose to the task and joined in bravely on behalf of our Islands,” said Franz Manderson, who is currently serving as the acting governor while Governor Martyn Roper is in the UK.
Remembrance Day in the UK
In the UK, Cayman Islands Representative Tasha Ebanks Garcia was invited to lay a wreath at the Cenotaph on Whitehall, London, on Sunday.
This was the first time a Cayman Islands representative was invited to participate in such an event.
“It was such a privilege and an honour to represent the people and Government of the Cayman Islands at the national Remembrance Day ceremony held in London at the Cenotaph on Whitehall,” said Ebanks Garcia in the GIS statement.
“The opportunity to participate in this ceremony of remembrance will certainly be a highlight of my time of service in the UK. To those who served and gave their [lives], we pay tribute to you today.”
In years gone by, a wreath was laid by the secretary of state for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs. However, this was changed following a successful campaign launched in 2001 by the United Kingdom Overseas Territories Association, which sought the right of OTs to lay wreaths themselves.
According to GIS, “This year was only the second time in the history of the National Service of Remembrance that British Overseas Territories Representatives have been invited to lay wreaths for citizens of their respective Territories, in their own right.
“A very significant step in recognising the Overseas Territories’ efforts and sacrifices for the United Kingdom.”
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