MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The day on which the armistice agreement was signed between Germany and the Allied forces to end the first world war, 11 November 1918, is commemorated on the Sunday closest to 11 November each year.
11 November is known as Remembrance Day, Armistice Day and also Poppy Day.
As it has for several years running, the Memorable Order of the Tin Hats (M.O.T.H.) Blaize Away shellhole in Mossel Bay will present a commemorative service and parade on 13 November this year at the War Memorial (Cenotaph) at The Point.
Stef Kilian from the M.O.T.H. says Mossel Bay provided the highest number of recruits for the war of any town or city in South Africa, relative to its population size.
"Of these, 21 were killed in action. The citizens of Mossel Bay felt a need to build a memorial to the fallen and embarked on fundraising activities for this purpose.
"The memorial was built on land provided by the town council at The Point and was unveiled by Major-General Sir HT Lukin, commander at Delville Wood, on 28 September 1924."
Kilian says at the time, HJ Brownlee, an associate of the Royal Institute of British Architects, called the memorial "one of the most remarkable and beautiful memorials of the Great War".
The names of Mossel Bay residents who lost their lives in later wars were subsequently added to the list of "Our Gallant Dead", as the inscription on the memorial states.
"The history of the memorial shows that it truly belongs to the people of Mossel Bay, which is why Blaize Away shellhole invites all citizens of Mossel Bay (and anyone else interested) to attend the Remembrance Day memorial parade at 10:00 for 10:30 on 13 November at The Point.
"You are most welcome to lay a wreath at the parade if you wish."
Kilian says the history of the M.O.T.H. largely parallels that of our memorial. The M.O.T.H. was founded in Durban in May 1927 by Charles Alfred Evenden as an association of World War I frontline soldiers to perpetuate the comradeship they experienced while in service.
Membership has since been extended to other military veterans, from World War II to the Border War and beyond.
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