Cornwall remembers in September

The Town of Cornwall kept the tradition of holding its Remembrance Day ceremony in September for the 99th year in a row.

The community holds the service in September at the Cornwall Cenotaph, the tradition started because many Islanders who lived in rural areas faced difficulty traveling in November to take part in Armistice Day, the day the First World War Ended, which is now celebrated as Remembrance Day across the Island.

John Yeo is part of the cenotaph committee, and said the service in Cornwall took place in 1918 for the first time, before the monument was even erected he said.

“Back then, it was held in September because roads were narrow and muddy and if they left it till November there would have been snow.” This year the service was held Sept. 16.

“The ceremony is usually held the second or third Sunday of September,” Yeo said.

His father was a Second World War veteran, while Yeo enlisted with the army in 1966.