Government officials, dignitaries lay wreaths at Remembrance Day ceremony

PRESIDENT Christine Kangaloo led the customary laying of wreaths at the annual national Remembrance Day ceremony at Memorial Park, Port of Spain, on November 9, honouring the soldiers of TT who lost their lives in World Wars I and II and other conflicts.

The President was the first to place a wreath at the foot of the cenotaph, followed by Attorney General John Jeremie, who did so on behalf of an absent Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh, Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge, and Chief of Defence Staff Captain Don Polo then followed, each paying tribute to the fallen.

Ambassadors, high commissioners and other dignitaries representing Australia, Colombia, Germany, Jamaica, Korea, Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Turkiye, Canada, China, Ghana, Argentina and the European Union delegation also laid wreaths, along with Port of Spain Mayor Chinua Alleyne.

The ceremony, which lasted roughly 20 minutes, was solemn and understated. Wreaths were laid below the cenotaph, following a brief prayer. No formal speeches were delivered.

Once a major event drawing considerable crowds, this year’s observance was marked by noticeably fewer spectators.

Only a handful of members of the public gathered outside the park’s perimeter to watch the proceedings.

The Remembrance Day ceremony, held annually on the Sunday closest to November 11, commemorates the armistice that ended the First World War in 1918 and pays tribute to those who served and died in both World Wars.

The tradition of observing a moment of silence and laying wreaths was adopted across the Commonwealth, including TT, as a solemn act of gratitude and reflection.

Memorial Park, located at the top of Frederick Street, hosts the country’s principal monument to its fallen soldiers.

The cenotaph – crafted from Portland stone and bronze atop four granite steps – bears engraved panels listing the names of TT nationals who died in both wars.

At the front, a bronze sculpture symbolises courage: a soldier standing guard with rifle in hand, protecting a fallen comrade.

Flanking figures on the north and south sides depict a Red Cross nurse and a woman reading a scroll of fame, while a winged figure of Victory crowns the column, holding a wreath of sacrifice and the palm of triumph.

Originally unveiled in the 1920s to honour those who served in the Great War and later updated to include the fallen of the Second World War, the cenotaph has been the focal point of TT Remembrance Day observances for nearly a century.