Cayman marked Remembrance Sunday with the traditional two-minute silence and wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial in George Town.
Acting Governor Franz Manderson led dignitaries from the uniformed services, voluntary organisations, veterans and the families of those who served, as well as schools, at the service at the Elmslie Memorial United Church on Seafarers Way.
Sheryl Solomon, a supervisor in the prison service, escorted grandchildren Nevaeh and Ravanna Solomon, who laid a wreath on behalf of their school, Joanna Clarke Primary in Savannah.
Neveah, 10, said, “I feel proud”, and Ravanna, 5, added, “I feel proud too.”
James Caldecourt, 33, a former regular Royal Marine, originally from Brighton, in Sussex, and who remains a reservist, was visiting friend Steve Dann, 42, an artist who lives on the island, and both attended the ceremony.
Caldecourt said, “It’s great – nice. It’s very important to remember those who fell and made the ultimate sacrifice. I wouldn’t be here watching this if it wasn’t for them.”
Dann, also from Brighton, formerly of the Army Air Corps, added, “I’d been coming to Cayman for a while, for about a year before I lived here.
“I went to a veterans’ event the other week, so I got to know about the place. It’s a great turnout, a great effort.”
US tourists also watched the ceremony and the pomp and pageantry of the parade by the unformed services.
Luis and Cathy Robles, who live in Florida, said they had not expected to see such a ceremony.
Cathy added, “This is awesome. I liked it very much. I noticed it was very British.”
Luis said his grandfather had served in the US Army and he was proud of his service.
“Absolutely, it’s important to remember.,” he added.
Andrew McLaughlin, the president of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association, said it represented services personnel from the US, UK and other nations, including NATO partner Germany.
McLaughlin, a former US Marine, added, “It’s all about keeping the memory alive. We honour them to keep it alive. Several of the schools do their own little ceremonies and they invite us as well.”
Husband-and-wife US Army veterans Ronald D Smith and Iris Foster saw the parade along Seafarers Way.
Smith said, “It’s very important that people do this. Monday is Veterans’ Day in the US and today is the birthday of the US Marine Corps. We missed the memorial service – we didn’t know anything about it – but we saw the parade.”
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