President lays wreath in Remembrance Day observance

Georgetown: President and Commander in Chief Donald Ramotar Sunday laid a wreath at the Georgetown Cenotaph in celebration of Remembrance Day. It will be the first time he will be doing this in his current position.

The Georgetown Cenotaph is a war memorial located at the junction of Main and Church Streets which  was unveiled on August 14, 1923, by the then Governor, Graeme Thomson, and the first Armistice Day observance took place at the Church Street Monument on  November 11, 1923. On the four faces of the base of the Cenotaph are inscribed the four words – Devotion, Humanity, Fortitude, and Sacrifice.

The Cenotaph is a national memorial to Guyanese soldiers who lost their lives in the First and Second World Wars. Guyanese soldiers served and fought in such far off places as Egypt, France, Belgium, and East Africa.

In Guyana, Remembrance Day (Poppy Day) is observed on the closest Sunday to  November 11 – usually the second Sunday. The day is marked by parades in Georgetown, New Amsterdam, Vreed-en-Hoop, Linden, Anna Regina, Bartica, Lethem and other towns around the country.