700 pay respects at Tugu Negara
Heroes honoured on remembrance day
KUALA LUMPUR: More than 700 people attended the Remembrance Sunday service hosted by the British High Commission at the National Monument here.
The morning event within the grounds of the Lake Gardens was meant to remember those who had served their countries, including civilians, in both World Wars and other conflicts.
Yesterday’s service also marked the 80th year since the beginning of World War II, which began with Germany’s invasion of Poland on Sept 1, 1939.
During the event, ambassadors, high commissioners and defence advisers from various countries stood in respectful silence alongside representatives from the Malaysian Armed Forces, Malaysian Veterans’ Associations, presidents of local societies and schools. The service began with guests singing A
Wish for Peace before the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, Charles Hay, delivered his address.
“Today, we remember the 80 years since the beginning of the Second World War which lasted over six years and involved more than 100 million people. We remember those who sacrificed their lives fighting for peace and for our liberty.
“We must never forget the price they paid and continue to honour their legacy,” said Hay in his maiden Remembrance Service in Malaysia since his appointment in March.
After The Last Post was delivered, the crowd observed two minutes of silence in respect of the fallen heroes.
The ceremony ended with the traditional laying of wreaths at the base of the Cenotaph, with a record number donated by individual veterans this year.
“All countries remember their losses in war in different ways and at different times. In the UK and much of the Commonwealth, we do so on the Sunday that falls nearest to the 11th of November.
“And usually, we remember at 11 in the morning, because it was at 11am on the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 that the guns on the Western Front fell silent after four long years of the terrible war that came to be called the First World War.
“My own great-grandfather survived four years on the Western Front during the First World War with little physical injury but he returned a changed man, prone to violent seizures. He died tragically young as a result of these invisible injuries,” said Hay.
He said the Second World War hit the region much harder than the first.
“Here in Malaysia, you will find over 7,000 headstones in 35 separate locations. Those who lie beneath them were from the UK, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India, Nepal and elsewhere,” he said.