Cayman residents of all ages and walks of life joined forces to remember the islands’ contribution to the protection of freedom and democracy at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony.
Hundreds gathered at the war memorial at the Elmslie Memorial United Church in George Town for the annual commemoration of the islands’ dead in two world wars and all those who have served.
Loxley Banks, 87, a Caymanian veteran of the US Air Force, who took part in the service, said, “I think it’s important to have these remembrances because, if you just think about the other option, that could have been where we would be.
“All those who defended freedom and democracy, on land, at sea and in the air, deserve to be remembered because of what they contributed. Their sacrifice preserved the freedom we have in the Cayman Islands today.”
Banks, who lived in the US for several years working in communications and broadcasting before returning to Cayman in the 1970s to help launch Radio Cayman, said the country had one of the highest participation rates in the world wars per head of population.
He added, “It was nice to see so many young people here today as well.”
The 9 Nov. service on Seafarers Way featured the laying of poppy wreaths, led by Governor Jane Owen and Premier André Ebanks.
Representatives of the uniformed services, community groups, schools, veterans groups and individuals also laid wreaths.
Remembering sacrifice
Lee Burling, a pilot with the police Air Operations Unit, served with the UK’s elite Parachute Regiment in late 1980s and early 1990s.
He said, “It’s one day of your life that we are here because of people who aren’t here. That is why we’re here.
“We’re able to do this because of people who are no longer able to do this. It’s about paying respect and, all the young kids who are here, that’s what they’re learning.”
He added it was also important to remember not only those who have died in other conflicts, but veterans who have been scarred physically or emotionally by their experiences.
“There are now a lot of people who haven’t given their lives, but have given a lot of their lives and their health,” Burling said,
Sir Alden McLaughlin, a former premier and former Speaker of the House, delivered a tribute to Charles Adams, a WWII soldier, lawyer and driving force behind the foundation of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association.
McLaughlin told the crowd that Adams, brought up in England, had spent four years in the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry and studied law after the war ended.
He moved to Jamaica in 1960 to manage the Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company and persuaded the owners to register it in Cayman, the first trust company in the islands.
Helping hand
Adams, who died in 2013, quit his job in Jamaica after his request to remain in Cayman and run the trust company was denied.
He opened a law practice in Cayman, where he employed a young McLaughlin as an articled clerk, the first step to qualification as a lawyer.
McLaughlin said, “One of his greatest achievements in Cayman would be to assist in the formation of the Cayman Islands Veterans Association back in 1979.”
He added, “Building on the founding principles of this association, the Cayman Islands Veterans Association would be registered as a non-profit organisation in 2017, and today continues to provide support and services to veterans of all conflicts, as well as young service members returning home to Cayman.”
Andrew McLaughlin, a former master sergeant in the United States Marine Corps and president of the association, said the parade had been “excellent”.
He added, “We really appreciate the government going to the trouble to honour our veterans.
“This has been one of the largest turnouts in recent years. One of the tenets of the association is to honour those who came before us. They sacrificed – we are just keeping tradition.”
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