Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
WAR DEAD REMEMBERED
Arlene and Micheal pay their respects
THE Taoiseach joined the First Minister in laying wreaths at a socially-distanced Remembrance Day service yesterday.
Micheal Martin became the third Irish premier to attend the commemorative event in Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh, following on from a tradition started by Enda Kenny and continued by his successor Leo Varadkar.
Arlene Foster, a local Assembly member for the constituency, and Northern Ireland Office minister Robin Walker were among the other dignitaries to participate in the ceremony.
The event is usually attended by hundreds of local people but numbers were limited this year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
It took place 33 years to the day since the IRA’S infamous “Poppy Day” bomb attack at the Enniskillen war memorial.
Eleven people who had gathered to pay respects to the war dead were killed and dozens more were injured in the no-warning blast in 1987 just minutes before the event was due to start.
A 12th victim of the bombing died 13 years later having never woken from a coma.
Relatives of some of those killed attended yesterday’s event.
Stephen Gault, whose father Samuel was murdered, said the smaller numbers in attendance made it more poignant.
He added: “It’s hard to believe that on this exact day 33 years ago that my father and other 11 innocent people were brutally murdered at this site.
“It’s very poignant. It made it hit home.
“It was smaller numbers but it doesn’t take away from the day.”
Mr Gault praised Mr Martin for attending, adding: “It was great the Taoiseach was able to come and carry on the tradition set a number of years ago. I personally think it’s greatly appreciated that he’s carried on that tradition , particularly as it’s a dif ferent Taoiseach this year from previous years.” Mr Kenny became the first Taoiseach to attend a Remembrance Day service in Northern Ireland when he took part in commemorations at Enniskillen in 2012.
That move was symbolic of the greater recognition now af forded i n the Republic to those Irishmen who fought and died serving in the British Army in the First World War.
Other small-scale Remembrance Day events took place elsewhere in Northern Ireland on Sunday, i ncluding at the Cenotaph at Belfast City Hall, where Lord Mayor Frank Mccoubrey led the commemorations.
Meanwhile, a hundred years after the Cenotaph was first unveiled to commemorate
It was smaller numbers but didn’t take away from day STEPHEN GAULT ENNISKILLEN YESTERDAY
the sacrifices of the First World War, London should have been packed with veterans.
In normal times, the lines of ex-services personnel would stretch as far as the eye can see, all th e way from Parliament Square down to Nelson’ s Column at the other end of the famous thoroughfare.
Crowds on the pavements would be four or five deep, spilling out on to surrounding streets.
But like so much else in our lives in 2020, the coronavirus pandemic meant yesterday’ s Remembrance Day service was a pared-back and much quieter affair.
Instead of hundreds of medal-wearing former members of the Army, Royal Navy and Air Force taking the salute as they paraded past, there were only 25 specially-selected veterans in the contingent. They marched in a carefully choreographed formation, socially distanced to ensure they were not in breach of Covid-19 protocols. This year only 148 personnel represented the current Armed Forces on Whitehall, compared to 874 in 2019. A composite band was formed of principal musicians from the Bands Of The Household Division, the Pipes And Drums Of The Scots Dragoon Guards, five Buglers Of Th e Royal Marines and five trumpeters from the Royal Air Force.
Ceremonial manoeuvres were adapted to ensure a two-metre distance was kept at all times.
Yet despite the highly-visible changes, this year’s Remembrance Day was no less poignant.
For some the stillness that remained following the sounding of the guns at the end of the formal two-minute silence made this muted lockdown ceremony even more affecting.
There were fewer people, but there was no less pageantry.
Lieutenant Colonel Charles Warren, 58, who served in Kosovo, the Falklands and Northern Ireland with the Royal Gurkha Rifles was one of the 25 asked to take part in the march-past.
The General Secretary of the Royal Commonwealth Ex-services League said he would have liked to see more veterans take part.
But he added: “In some ways there were elements that were slightly better because there were less people, there was more of a focus on individuals. Normally it is quite speedy.”
LT CL Warren said afterwards Boris Johnson met all 25 veterans who took part, adding: “This was a real bonus for the veterans. It would not normally happen.”