Vigilance can report that members of the Armed Forces joined their civilian compatriots this week in a series of events both large and small, across the UK and overseas, to mark the Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War in order to keep the memories of their fallen colleagues alive.
The Armed Forces, who have many special links to the First World War and those who fought, are proud to be supporting the overall national programme to mark 100 years since the conflict, playing their part in the commemorations taking place to mark the day Britain signed the Declaration of War.
Earlier today, members of all three Armed Forces attended a national Service of Commemoration for the Commonwealth at Glasgow Cathedral, followed by a
Wreath Laying and March Past in George Square, together with HRH The Duke of Rothesay (The Prince of Wales in Scotland), The Prime Minister, the First Minister of Scotland and Defence Minister of Scotland. Among them were two Army Reserves from 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland, Captain Edward Howell and Private Dillon Rae of the 6th Battalion The Royal Regiment of Scotland. During the service they read diary entries of a Captain and Private from the Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) of which their Regiment is a descendant.
Speaking at the service, Private Rae, aged 29 from Castermilk in Glasgow said, “It has been a great honour to do this reading, especially as our unit is linked so closely to the Cameronians. It is just something you don’t turn down. It was very moving.”
In Folkestone, HRH Prince Harry dedicated a new memorial arch, and took the salute as 97 Servicemen and women from all three Services, supported by the Band of the Brigade of Gurkhas, marched through it, and down the hill to the harbour. Organised by the charity Step Short, the event paid tribute to the millions of men who “stepped short” as they marched down the steep hill, before embarking on ships to France and the Front Line.
Speaking at the service Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said: "Today is an opportunity to commemorate the spirit of the British people, our determination to fight for what is just, and our willingness to lay down our lives in name of our country. In every corner of the country remembrance ceremonies are taking place and I am honoured to have today followed in the steps of those who fought for King and Country in 1914.
“Our Armed Forces today, like those of a hundred years ago embody the best of British, and it is right we honour all that they do for our country.”
Later today, a Royal Marine and three soldiers will perform readings from the First World War at a special commemorative event at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s St Symphorien Military Cemetery, Mons, Belgium, in the presence of TRH The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry, The Prime Minister and other senior figures. The readings will have particular resonance for the Servicemen, as they are linked to the Units and Regiments from which they are descended, and who are buried, uniquely alongside Allied and German soldiers, at the cemetery.
Other members of the Armed Forces, who have personal connections to those buried in the cemetery, have made the journey with family members to the event. Flight Lieutenant Gavin Brockie and his cousin Chief Petty Officer MA Michael Last are attending the ceremony in memory of their Great-Grandfather, Corporal Walter George Last, 2nd Battalion Royal Irish Regiment, who was killed in action on 23 August 1914 and is buried at the cemetery. Speaking ahead of the event, Flight Lieutenant Brockie said,
“Today was a family pilgrimage to the grave of my Great-Grandfather, Corporal Last who is buried at St Symphorien. To be here in uniform, on the day of the Centenary of the start of the First World War, is an absolute honour, and one I won't ever forget.”
Bringing the day’s commemorations to a close will be a Solemn Commemoration on the Centenary at Westminster Abbey, attended by HRH The Duchess of Cornwall, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, Commonwealth and UK Government representatives, military personnel, charities, faith groups and youth organisations.
At the service, Captain Edward Harris, No.7 Company Coldstream Guards, will read A Letter Home by Mickey Chater of the 2nd Battalion The Gordon Highlanders, written early on in the conflict. The Chaplain-General, The Very Reverend Jonathan Woodhouse CB QHC, will read an extract from “A Letter Home”, from the letters of The Very Reverend Eric Milner-White, an Army Chaplain during the First World War, who was Mentioned in Despatches and awarded the Distinguished Service Order. Major Debra Ritsperis, A Nurse Education Adviser, Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps will read a lesson.
At several points in the service members of the congregation will extinguish candles in the Abbey. Two are from the Armed Forces, Able Seaman Kam Clarke RN, and Major General Edward Smyth-Osbourne CBE, General Officer Commanding London District and the Major General Commanding the Household Division.
Towards the end of the service, four Guardsmen will move to stand, unarmed, at the corners of the Grave of the Unknown Warrior. Drawn from the Grenadier, Scots, Welsh and Irish Guards, they will represent the four nations that make up the United Kingdom. They will be present as the Duchess of Cornwall extinguishes the final light in the Abbey, a lantern positioned above the Grave of the Unknown Warrior.
The event at Westminster Abbey is part of the national LIGHTS OUT campaign, part of the 14-18 Now project in collaboration with The Royal British Legion, where everyone in the UK is invited to take part by turning off their lights from 2200 to 2300 on 4 August, leaving on a single light or candle for a shared moment of reflection.
Lights will be extinguished in the Main Building Headquarters of the Ministry of Defence, and at the Old War Office next door along Whitehall from 2200 and 2300 leaving a single light on in each building until 2300 the time when the Declaration of War was signed, when that too will be extinguished. Both Horse Guards Building and Wellington Barracks will be taking part in LIGHTS OUT, as will many other military establishments across the UK. Others will be attending similar candlelit vigils. In Portsmouth, all ships alongside at the Royal Navy Base will sound their sirens for 30 seconds exactly at 2300, paying their own unique tribute to the day’s commemorations.