Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories Lay Remembrance Wreaths At Cenotaph For First Time

10 November 2019

Government

Representatives of the Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories today laid wreaths for the first time at the National Service of Remembrance at the Cenotaph.

This year a representative from each of the three Crown Dependencies and representatives for the inhabited Overseas Territories laid their own wreaths in remembrance of their many contributions in both World Wars and other conflicts.

The Crown Dependencies and Overseas Territories have previously been represented by the wreaths laid by Her Majesty The Queen and the Foreign Secretary respectively.

The change comes at an especially poignant time as this year marks the 100^th Anniversary of Remembrance Sunday and has also seen the addition of other new wreaths, including from Nepal to honour the Gurkhas, and by the Foreign Secretary and the Home Secretary who laid wreaths on behalf of the Intelligence Agencies.

Governor Philip Rushbrook commented: “St Helenians (including those working on Ascension) and Tristanians are proud of their British heritage and there is no better way for this to be recognised than through their representatives laying a wreath at the Cenotaph in London. Many of our islanders past and present have contributed to the British Armed Forces – on St Helena we can see some of their names on our own cenotaph in Jamestown. We also take this as an opportunity to pay tribute to the crew of the RMS St Helena who during the Falklands Campaign played their part, and St Helenians today serving in the Armed Forces.”