Remembrance Sunday, Girne

minertor



Joined: 14/02/2009
Posts: 1238

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 15:31

Was talking to an expat in the pub last night. He's involved in the refurbishment of the British Cemetery near the Lefkosia roundabout. They're erecting a plaque to the 371 servicemen who gave their lives here. The ceremony will begin at 12.15. The reason for it not being at the eleventh hour is because the BBC are broadcasting live after the Cenotaph programme. Didn't know about it until last night, sadly, will have to miss the David Haye fight to make sure I get there. Will also be late for Brinsley's party. Keep a few on ice Richard.



Tony

smithy


Joined: 17/07/2008
Posts: 5301

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 15:34

What a wonderful idea will most certainly be there

God bless those brave heroes

Maz


Joined: 29/03/2009
Posts: 1924

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 17:00

Careful guys. It is fully booked, but I believe there willbe a big screen outside somewhere so that people can participate that way, but there is no room for people inside. The 400 'seats' have already been allocated.



Wouldn't want anyone to be disappointed. If you want to check on the facts, then contact Brian Thomas of Star Newspaper - he is the main organiser over here.

BigMart


Joined: 26/02/2009
Posts: 423

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 17:49

Have heard that the seats have been allocated to relatives of the murdered servicemen who are travelling from the UK, but there will standing room in the cemetry for others.



Can anyone confirm this ? There does seem to be a lack of information for such an important event.

rdsteve


Joined: 01/03/2009
Posts: 187

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 17:59

I would like info so i can go and pay my respect to all the soldiers who have fallen ALL soldiers not just from the 2 world wars



Steve

No1Doyen


Joined: 04/07/2008
Posts: 16617

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 18:07

rdsteve. I agree. Respect to all the armed forces.

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 18:13

I have not seen anything about this however I would like to pay my respects to our heros so if its on a large screen i will be there x

Lambousa Gordon


Joined: 03/11/2007
Posts: 1992

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 19:24

I've heard that, because of limited space and given the large numbers of actual cyprus-emergency veterans and relatives attending, places within the Cemetary proper for those wishing to pay their respects are now fully allocated but that there will be unseated areas outside for those that also wish to pay their respects.

minertor



Joined: 14/02/2009
Posts: 1238

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 21:17

msg 5; I understood that it was for the 371 servicemen that were killed here.

magolina


Joined: 06/12/2008
Posts: 461

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 22:31

Just to let you all know Chrouslambusa will be singing at the service by request.

dizzycows


Joined: 12/05/2009
Posts: 2736

Message Posted:
21/10/2009 23:38

With your pic you must be very proud of the young man by your side, minertor. We should all be proud of our young men now, and all those men in all the wars who have given their lives in world war1 and war2 and the NC conflict. ..... Long may they NEVER be forgotten.

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 00:19

Is it actually on rememberance day

Happy Hussar


Joined: 01/10/2008
Posts: 318

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 08:45

So no chance of wearing the old Regimental Blazer and giving the medals an outing? Shame.

Tony

Carndi


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 613

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 09:40

Is the ceremony on the 11th or the nearest Sunday which is the norm in the UK ?

The nearest Sunday is the 15th.

Does anyone know ?

BigMart


Joined: 26/02/2009
Posts: 423

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 09:49

The ceremony is on the 8th, which is the nearest Sunday to the 11th.

CarrieRBag



Joined: 23/12/2008
Posts: 1374

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 09:52

The Remembrance Service weekend is 7/8 November.

boglefan



Joined: 07/06/2009
Posts: 511

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 10:48

I have just listened to a song called Coming Home on GMTV it is for the Army Benevolent Fund. It is on an album to be released before Remebrance Day. I think the web site to hear this is http://www.the-soldiers.co.uk . I know this is slightly off the thread but I think all those thinking of all the men and women who are serving and all those who have lost their lives while serving might like to listen to this.



It is good to know that those who lost their lives in Cyprus are still remembered.

Carndi


Joined: 12/06/2009
Posts: 613

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 11:14

My finger calculater was not working properly this morning. Have to get them serviced.

Thanks for the correction.

minertor



Joined: 14/02/2009
Posts: 1238

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 11:38

Remenbrance Sunday in UK is Nov. 8th. I was told that the service in Girne will be televised live by the BBC at 12.15 (10.15am UK time) or maybe they are recording to show later.

Tony

msg 11: Dizzycows, the young soldier in my pic is my 19 year old Grandson, presently in Canada with his unit.

My wife is stood beside him on the photo I sent in but was left off the avtar, maybe the mods know something I don't.

dizzycows


Joined: 12/05/2009
Posts: 2736

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 11:57

Na its cos us girls are so good looking! dont put mine up cos we would out shine you boys,lol x

NCMan



Joined: 19/09/2009
Posts: 670

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 12:09

Ref msg 13



Of course you can wear your blazer & medals be proud , i will be there in best bib & tucker medals & all.

I will also be at Wayne's Keep the day before.

CarrieRBag



Joined: 23/12/2008
Posts: 1374

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 12:43

See you there NCMan

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:55

PRESS RELEASE



BRITISH CYPRUS MEMORIAL TRUST:



*Plans for the official Unveiling Ceremony and Memorial Service for Remembrance Sunday in the Old British Cemetery in Girne are now well advanced…



There will be an official Memorial Service at the Old British Cemetery in Girne commencing at 1230pm on Sunday 8 November at which there will also be an unveiling of a Memorial to honour the lives of the 371 servicemen killed in the ‘Cyprus Emergency’ between 1955 – 59. The service will be conducted by The Rt. Revd Michael Lewis, Bishop in Cyprus and the Gulf, Province of Jerusalem and the Middle East and the British High Commissioner will be the guest of honour on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen.

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:56

Contd: The British Cyprus Memorial Trust was established nearly two years ago in the UK whose members include Lord Maginnis, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon, General Sir John Waters, and Lieutenant General Sir Henry Beverley with the main aim of raising donations from the public in order to allow this project to move forward. You can visit the Trust website at: http://www.britishcyprusmemorial.org for further information. The fruits of their efforts will be seen at the Memorial Service with the official unveiling of a granite Memorial which was actually made in the UK and has been only recently transported to the island. For the chief architect and designer of the memorial, Keith Rackham from H L Perfitt Ltd of Diss in Norfolk, this has been a labour of love for both himself and the company who are the appointed suppliers to the MOD to provide individual Memorials for those killed on active service, and Keith will be in Girne for the next week or so personally overseeing the unloadi

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:57

Contd 2: unloading and erection of the Memorial.

Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Graydon commented “The British Cyprus Memorial Trust is immensely grateful to all those in Northern Cyprus who have worked so hard to ensure that the Cyprus Memorial will be unveiled on 8th November in Girne. This is, of course, Remembrance Sunday in the United Kingdom and we are delighted that the BBC will be including our ceremony in its television coverage of the day which will be seen by millions of people around the world."

A BBC spokesman in London added “I can confirm that it is our intention to reflect the lives lost during the Cyprus Emergency and the events in Kyrenia to commemorate them in this year's Cenotaph programme.” The Event is also supported by The Royal British Legion who commented “You have our full moral support”.

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:58

Contd 3: We spoke to the Chairman of the local organising committee for his views…



Retired Major Brian Thomas BEM has been the Chairman of the local organising committee here in the north since early in May and as the ‘leg on the ground’ the committee have been quietly busying themselves with the intricate organisation of the memorial weekend. Brian, who served for 33 years in the Duke of Wellington’s Regiment and retired to North Cyprus in 2006, commented “It has been a hard slog over the last few months for myself and the committee which includes Les Evans, Keith Lloyd, Ken Black, Gerry Lee, Steve Abit and Jimmy Keco, but the pain will be worth it to see the faces of the 240 or so UK based veterans of the conflict who are travelling over from the UK specifically to attend the memorial service along with nearly 60 relatives of the deceased and a hundred or so veterans from both the north and south of the island. Every country has a right to commemorate their dead – in fact it i

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:59

Contd 4: . We are aiming for the ‘silence’ in the Order of Service to be at precisely 1pm to coincide with the National commemoration at the Cenotaph as we are ‘on parade’ with the Nation and part of a process which starts with the Queen laying a wreath — and watched by an audience of many millions not only in Britain but across the world. There will be a private enclosure on the road outside the cemetery, the dual carriageway will be closed for the duration of the service, which is all-ticket and will seat 400 people, but unfortunately all these tickets have now been allocated to the people mentioned earlier so it will be standing room only for the 40 minute service, and likewise there are no available tickets remaining for the reception afterwards. However there will be two giant screens positioned in the front of the cemetery to enable live viewing of the event and the general public are most welcome to attend. “

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 13:59

Contd 5: *The last word goes to a relative in the UK who will be travelling to the TRNC for the Memorial Service…



The Trust recently received the following message from a travelling relative titled ‘What can one Say?’ - “It’s hard to know what to say after all these years. Trying to find out about this that and the other of my brother Ivan...Now all of a sudden it’s happening, and I am being introduced to complete strangers that are making me cry at 71…oh dear, oh dear. I just want to say a big thank YOU to all that have been so helpful, and still are, so that our visit to Cyprus this coming November, will finally put a closure on WHY. Thanking you once again, I remain...Very Gobsmacked, but a happy man!”

Further comments from relatives and well-wishers cab be viewed at an online Memorial Book at the following link: http://www.friendsandrelations.com/partners/bcmt/html/book/

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 14:11

Please note - Contd 3 should finish: in fact it is our duty!



On behalf of the organising committee please accept our sincere apologies for the lack of space for budding attendees at both the memorial service and the reception afterwards. When this poignant occasion was at the planning stage we never expected that such a huge amount of UK based relatives and veterans would make the journey to the TRNC (currently over 300) which is probably double to what was expected hence the lack of local advertising, it is certainly not meant as a snub to anyone local but given the amount of time, money and effort shown by the aforementioned it was felt that they should be given priority.

If you see the Old & Bold out and about around Girne in the next few weeks wearing their name badges with pride then please make them all feel welcome.

Brian Thomas

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
22/10/2009 16:48

I would kindly request that no photos of the Memorial are posted on any Internet Bulletin Boards prior to the official unveiling ceremony on Sunday 8 November, as it takes away the WOW factor we are attempting to encapsulate and bearing in mind that these BB's are also read in the UK we do not wish to spoil it for the travelling relatives of the deceased.

TIA

Brian

DavidCarter


Joined: 11/07/2009
Posts: 20

Message Posted:
25/10/2009 10:35

I hope those who are attending or hoped to attend the unveiling of the British Memorial in Kyrenia on Remembrance Sunday will read the full story of how this project has come about by going to the Cyprus section of the British Small Wars website:



http://www.britains-smallwars



The story is told in the article headlined "A Soldier Died Today"/



I ask this because the press release from Major Brian Thomas BEM about the Memorial does not mention several individuals who have worked tirelessly for almost 10 years to make it possible. While the day must be first and foremost for the friends and relatives of the 371 military personnel who died during the Cyprus Emergency, those who worked hardest should not be forgotten.



Amongst them are the British Small Wars team who compiled the original Honor Roll, where none had existed before, and researched the stories of those who did not return home; Dave Cranston, formerly of 1 Royal Ulster Rifles, who badgered the UK Government and MPs to reco

DavidCarter


Joined: 11/07/2009
Posts: 20

Message Posted:
25/10/2009 10:51

continued 2



recognize the fallen Cyprus vets; former President Denktas, who opened a special bank account for Memorial funds, to which Lt Col Watts, MC, was the first contributor; Cyprus Today, which through the Hackwatch column, opened the debate; and, most important of all, Donald Crawford, QC, who contacted me 30 months ago to seek our backing. Since then, probably nobody else has devoted more time and effort to raising funds and overseeing the planning and construction of the Memorial, even when the task appeared hopeless.



Many of those who worked hard on the project will not be seated in the 400 seats when the Memorial is unveiled, but they will be present in spirit. They would have made the journey to Kyrenia, but, somehow, they were not kept in the loop when the final arrangements were drafted by the local committee and only became aware of the program a few weeks ago from outside sources. Nonetheless we are please see our work was not in vain.



David Carter

lapta29


Joined: 09/10/2009
Posts: 88

Message Posted:
25/10/2009 15:18

Most interesting David Carter a wise man once said



" Those small minded people who lack importance seek self promotion and glory casting aside those who's efforts have gone before and who people are so keen to forget we can do nought about it except where we stand we do not let glory sniffers get a foot in the door whilst shining glory on those whose efforts have contributed and go unmentioned or are besmirched as is oft the case "



You may have seen a few of his photos of cyprus on the net ??

Happy Hussar


Joined: 01/10/2008
Posts: 318

Message Posted:
25/10/2009 19:23

Perhaps 'The Mad Major' could put the record straight on this before any bad feelings spoil what should be a very special day for all who will attend, whether inside or outside the cemetary!

Tony

DavidCarter


Joined: 11/07/2009
Posts: 20

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 07:56

I concur completely with the Happy Hussar. The Memorial is in Kyrenia to remember the 371 British service personnel who lost their lives in the 1955-59 EOKA conflict. Their relatives and friends should be considered the VIPs at the unveiling on Remembrance Sunday and I expect they will be treated as such. Those who have worked on their behalf, overcoming countless difficulties and opposition, to make the Memorial real deserve fair credit, too. No more, no less.



David

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 08:11

I think you have done a wonderful job and it makes me feel very proud knowing that our service men and women are to be remembered.My father was posted here in 1956 attached to The Royal Ulster Rifles.He has long since died at the age of 36. This will be a step for me also for closure. Are we able to buy poppys here as I havent seen any yet x

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 12:08

Response from the British Cyprus Memorial Trust:

We are very sorry, of course, that some who would very much like to have been present were not aware of what was planned. However, the announcement of the unveiling has been on our website —

http://www.britishcyprusmemorial.org — for the past eight months under the heading 'Do you want to be there?'

The relevant page then goes on to give details of how to attend including the contact telephone numbers and email address of the Royal British Legion travel agency — Legion Travel Direct — which was our appointed travel agents. The Trust also emailed every one who has been registered as a supporter on that site which is why there are some 350 relatives and veterans coming, and why hundreds of others have emailed to say how sorry they are that they cannot be there, but wishing us well. It has also been publicised in the Daily Telegraph and most latterly the Daily Mail on August 10 as well as in the Legion magazines,

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 12:10

Contd: and in most regimental association magazines as well as the RAF News. The local North Cyprus press has also regularly carried news stories (since September last year).So while we are very sorry that some may not have known, it is difficult to see how much more we could have done to inform them.

Donald Crawford, Trust Secretary

theoddmajor


Joined: 10/05/2008
Posts: 246

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 12:12

" We are delighted to add to Brian Thomas's. Informative note and to note the great interest shown in the memorial in the forum. Contributors will appreciate that our first priority is and remains to honour the veterans and their families. Space at the cemetery is limited. The memorial will be on view to all after the ceremony. Of necessity priority at the event will be to those veterans and families who have travelled from abroad to be present. Your understanding and support would be much appreciated. "

Sir Michael Graydon, BCMT Trustee

DavidCarter


Joined: 11/07/2009
Posts: 20

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 14:05

Those in almost daily contact by e-mail providing information and help, as requested by the organizers of the event from the start of the project, did not expect to have to view the Memorial website on a regular basis to find out what was happening and 'register'. I doubt if the organizers registered on any website to receive their e-mails about the final arrangements. I'm sorry, guys, while I salute Donald Crawford and the Major for their superb efforts, their explanation doesn't wash. The fact remains, however, that unveiling day should run smoothly and the fallen soldier's families go home knowing that they are not forgotten. Please, everyone, go and show your support. Our "Britain's Small Wars" website will devote a special space to the unveiling. To this end, we would welcome as many pictures from attendees and readers of this forum as soon after the after the event as possible, with any notes you care to add. Please send them to me at:



hackwatchuk@hotmail.com



David

Maz


Joined: 29/03/2009
Posts: 1924

Message Posted:
26/10/2009 22:16

If anyone reads this far down , could I just repeat a small, but vital request that has come through from Mr Crawford - namely in connection with the 350 people coming out — some interesting people indeed —

and they will all be wearing name badges — blue veterans, red relatives,

green wreathlayers and gold for odds and sods like me. We are asking

them to wear their badges throughout their stay, not only so that they

can recognise each other in their hotels but also so that locals can

recognise them when they are out in the street. If you see one, please talk to them, or maybe even offer to buy them a drink. Let them know they are welcome and give them a real 'hosgeldeniz'. Even if you are not at the ceremony, this can be your way of contributing to the event.

nurseawful



Joined: 06/02/2009
Posts: 5934

Message Posted:
08/11/2009 08:49

Back to the top for this. The sun is shining no sign of rain. A good day to remember!

Lilli



Joined: 21/07/2008
Posts: 13081

Message Posted:
08/11/2009 10:20

Lets not forget. Wear your poppy with pride. I will try to observe the 2 minutes silence. It almost 100 years since the start of the first world war and here we all still remembering. Thank God we can xx