Ghana Remembers World War II

President J.E.A. Mills interacting with the war veterans after the ceremony

Ghana yesterday joined the rest of the world to commemorate the end of World War II with a solemn service in memory of the soldiers who fell in the First and Second World Wars, as well as those who perished in peacekeeping operations across the globe.

Attended by President John Evans Atta Mills, ministers of state, members of the Diplomatic Corps, high-profile security personnel, as well as a contingent of ex-servicemen, the Remembrance Day service, held at the Christianborg War Cemetery at Osu in Accra, was marked by wreath-laying, the sounding of the knell, the reading of the Binyon Verse, as well as Christian and Muslim prayers.

President Mills, who is also the Commander-in-Chief of the Ghana Armed Forces, laid a wreath on behalf of the Government and People of Ghana, while Dr Nicholas Westcott, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, laid a wreath on behalf the Commonwealth and allied countries in memory of the departed souls.

After the wreath laying ceremony, the President then signed the Remembrance Book to also mark the occasion.

Mr Tete Jean-Pierre Gbikpi-Benissan, the Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, Lt. Gen. Peter Augustine Blay, Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) and Air Marshall Odartey Bannor (retd), the Chairman of the Veterans Association of Ghana (VAG), laid separate wreaths on behalf of the international community, the security services, and the VAG, while Nii Duodoo Nsakie, Otoblohum Mantse, represented the traditional rulers.

The Christian War Cemetery contains the remains of 357 West Africans, 50 British, eight Canadians, two Italians, one Australian and one Polish, who perished in the second world war.

A memorial at the entrance gate of the cemetery also commemorates 452 soldiers from the then Gold Coast, who died and were buried at unidentified locations.

After the opening prayers, there was a call to remembrance, before the Binyon Verses were read followed by two minutes of silence.

The Binyon Verses were taken from a poem by Lawrence Binyon (1869-1943) of the United Kingdom, entitled, “The Fallen”, which he wrote to honour the sacrifices of the gallant soldiers in defence of human rights, truth and peace in the world.

The last post was sounded at exactly 11 a.m. to commemorate the time when the guns fell silent to mark the end of the Second World War.

President Mills took time off and interacted with some of the veterans.