(From left) Maj. Mark Barratt, Lt. Col. Alan Whitelaw, Consul General Mohammed Shokat, Michael Cockle, Capt. Shaun Wilson and Maj. Eddie Edwards at the Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the British Consulate in Jeddah. — SG photo by Elizabeth Frost Elizabeth Frost Saudi Gazette
JEDDAH — On Remembrance Sunday, which always falls on the second Sunday in November, the United Kingdom and many other countries throughout the world commemorate the men and women who have given their lives in conflict for their country. In Jeddah, Consul General Mohammed Shokat welcomed guests and four members of the British Military to a Ceremony of Remembrance at the British Consulate, adding: “Services like this will be taking place all around the world today at many of the 2,500 Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries, British embassies, high commissions and consulates in 150 countries. “The cemeteries commemorate the 1.7 million Commonwealth servicemen and women who lost their lives during the two World Wars.” Remembrance Sunday is the closest Sunday to November 11th, the date of the Armistice of the First World War. There is always added poignancy to the occasion when Remembrance Sunday and November 11th Armistice Day coincide, as they did this year. In 1918, on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, the guns of the Western Front fell silent after four years of “the war to end all wars”. The day was originally known as Armistice Day and was set aside to honor those who had fallen during that war. This year is the 94th anniversary since that day in 1918 and the first where there is no longer a survivor to bear witness to the remembrance. The last known survivor, Florence Green, was a mess steward at various Royal Air Force bases and she died earlier this year aged 110. Sadly, WWI was not the “war to end all wars” as had been hoped and there have been numerous conflicts since, not least of which was the Second World War, which broke out just 21 years later. Because of this, the focus of the day shifted to include those who had given their lives in that conflict as well. Following that war, peace once again did not last long and since then there has only been one year – 1968 – when a member of the British Armed Forces has not died in action. In 1980, the scope of Remembrance Day was widened once again to include all who have suffered and died in conflict in the service of their country and all those who mourn them. Included are men and women of different faiths, as well as many Muslims who fought for Britain in the World Wars. More than 3.5 million soldiers from the Asian subcontinent fought for Britain during these conflicts and Secretary General Farooq Murad of the Muslim Council of Britain said in 2010: “We need to remind not only the Muslim community, but also the general public, that the Muslim contribution to the defense of this nation (Britain) runs deep.” Shokat and Lt. Col. Alan Whitelaw both laid poppy wreaths against the flagpole. The tradition of laying wreaths dates back to ancient Greek and Roman times and was their traditional means of signaling high honors. In keeping with tradition, at 11 a.m. local time there was a two-minute silence heralded by the bugle playing “The Last Post” and the lowering of the British flag by Capt. Shaun Wilson and Maj. Eddie Edwards. The silence ended with the playing of “The Rouse” and the Union Flag being raised again. Shokat explained the significance of the silence to those present: “The idea of an official silence was first proposed in 1919 by a former British diplomat, who had lost a son in France. “He wrote that ‘in the hearts of our people there is a real desire to find some lasting expression of their feeling for those who gave their lives in the war.' “He said he was afraid that in years to come, as lives returned to normal, memories of the great sacrifice of that generation would quickly fade away. I think if he were here in Jeddah today he would feel reassured that those sacrifices are not forgotten.” The significance of “The Last Post” is that it is a final farewell, symbolizing that the duty of the dead soldier is over and that he can rest in peace. The ceremony at the British Consulate was made all the more moving by British International School of Jeddah student Bella Walker singing “In Flanders Fields”. This poem was written in 1915 by Lt. Col. John McCrae, a surgeon with the Canadian Armed Forces in the trenches in Ypres. The first verse of the poem reads: “In Flanders' Fields the poppies blow. “Between the crosses row on row. “That mark our place; and in the sky. “The larks, still bravely singing, fly. “Scarce heard amid the guns below.” It was this poem that led to the poppy becoming a national symbol of remembrance, first of all in the United States, then France, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and England to raise money in support of the veterans and their families. Poppies are circulated by several UK associated institutions in Saudi Arabia including the British Business & Women's Groups and the British Embassy and Consulate.
