Joint Act of Remembrance takes place

Thursday 19 July 2018

A joint Act of Remembrance took place this morning at the German Military cemetery at Fort George.

Following a mixed delegation of British and German soldiers from the Allied Rapid Reaction Corps spending 10 days in the island repairing and cleaning headstones at the cemetery, a ceremony was held.

Local dignitaries were the Dean of Guernsey, Bailiff and the Lieutenant Governor.  

In opening the ceremony, the Dean of Guernsey, the Very Reverend Tim Barker said: “we have come to remember men and women who made the greatest sacrifice to serve friends and nation. We come to show our gratitude and to offer our prayers and thoughts for them, their families and nations, and for our world.”

After this, Colonel Duwel and Lieutenant Colonel James led a commemoration in a bi-national way, with Colonel Duwel speaking in England and Lt Colonel James in German.

Following the Exhortation by Bob Place from the Royal British Legion, the Last Post played and silence held and then a wreath laid. 

Speaking afterwards, the Lieutenant Governor Vice Admiral Sir Ian Corder said: “it was a marvelous ceremony, and the work they have done here is just terrific. The symbolism on display is fantastic, and hopefully this can mark a final act of reconciliation.”

Organised by the Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgräberfürsorge (the German War Graves Commission) and supported by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. It was the first time since the Occupation that uniformed German soldiers worked in the island.