Chris Kaye discusses Remembrance Day
Chris Kaye reflects on this year's centenary of the end of The Great War
This week I had the honour of laying a wreath, on behalf of the Students of Imperial College, to those staff and students who paid the Ultimate sacrifice in service during the First and Second World Wars. The moving ceremony was held in the foyer of the City & Guilds Building and was led by the College Chaplain with a reading from the College Archivist.
This had me reflecting on the international make-up of our Imperial community. Remembrance Day and the poppy as a symbol of bloodshed and loss during War perhaps seems rather anglo-centric. But of course death, destruction and loss happened all over the World.
Last Christmas I went to Hong Kong, where I visited Sai Wan War Cemetery. This was particularly poignant, as Hong Kong fell to Occupation on Christmas Day 1941. It was another 4 years before Hong Kong was liberated, suffering some horrendous hardship which saw the population dwindle from 1.6 million in 1941 to just 600,000 by 1945.
Sai Wan War Cemetery (pictured) is on Cape Collinson, on the North-East corner of Hong Kong Island. There lie some 1,500 graves of soldiers. These include Canadian, Indian, British and local Chinese servicemen who were killed. Over 400 graves are known only unto God.
A further 2,000 names are engraved at the entrance to the cemetery, listing the servicemen who died in the Battle of Hong Kong or subsequently in captivity and who have no known grave.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintains the Sai Wan War Cemetery, and is responsible for maintaining the graves of some 1.7 million deceased Commonwealth military service members at over 23,000 locations in 153 countries.
Many of these countries are represented in the make-up of our community at College here today. It is also important to remember that loss and suffering happened on all sides during conflict.
Looking around College today and seeing the diverse make-up of our student community, all striving for a common goal, is perhaps the greatest tribute to the sacrifices made by our predecessors all those years ago.
