Sunday, 13th November 2022

I had enquired if there would be a remembrance service at the Commonwealth War Graves in Jawatte Cemetery and was told that there would be, starting at 10:45am to pause for the two minutes’ silence at 11:00am before continuing.  The previous such services that I had joined were on Remembrance Sunday so I assumed this would be the case this year, too.

Rennie and I had spent the night beforehand at the Cinnamon Grand Hotel as reported in the previous blog post, so after enjoying breakfast together and leaving Rennie to finish hers, I walked home to get dressed for the service, collect Misa and head off.  This we did, taking one of our usual tuk tuks from the rank nearby and within minutes were passing the Cenotaph war memorial at Viharamahadevi Park where we noticed the national service about to commence.  

Not long afterwards we arrived at Jawatte, and as we alighted from the tuk tuk and walked through the entrance to the CWGC cemetery simultaneously noticed that there was nobody else there, no marquee and that wreaths were already placed around the memorial cross.  It was immediately clear that this year’s service – the first one open to the public since 2019 – had been held on Remembrance Day itself; Friday 11th November.  We had missed it by 48 hours.

After pausing for ten minutes to pay our silent respects, we climbed back in to the waiting tuk tuk and asked the driver to take us to the Cenotaph.  My plan?  To try and join the national service even though it was not open to the public and we weren’t invited.   At the end of the ride I asked the driver to drop us at the Green Path, around the corner and out of sight from the memorial entrance and said to Misa “We are smartly dressed with poppies in place, so will walk like we are supposed to be here and won’t engage in conversation unless spoken to”.  And we did.  Straight past the heavy security and all its immaculately attired soldiers and their live weapons, straight up to the main entrance, and straight through the middle of it.  We weren’t once challenged, but feeling that discretion was the better part of valour, decided to stand at the back and use our umbrellas to shield us from the intense sun.  

Within a few minutes a major marched up to us, saluted and asked if we’d prefer to be seated?  “That’d be lovely, was my reply” at which he beckoned for a junior NCO to come over and then said “you are English”, before telling us proudly of his time studying at Sandhurst Military Academy.  We were then taken underneath the prime VIP canopy and seated in pole position in the front row – so in front of all the dignitaries and senior officers!

What an occasion, what a memory and what a way to remember those who died in the name of freedom before walking around the corner towards the Cinnamon Red hotel and jumping in to another tuk tuk for the ride home.

We were each boiled and then some, in my case to the degree that my jacket was soaked through from sweat, but what a privilege.  He who dares.

Steve