Commemorating Heroes in Solymár

On 11 November, Remembrance Day, people in the United Kingdom use the motto “Lest we forget" and lay poppies of remembrance to commemorate the soldiers who died in the line of duty in wars. On this day in 1918, at 11:00 a.m., representatives of the German army signed the armistice at Compiégne, France, which put an end to the First World War. To mark this event, every year on this day, people wear red poppies and at 11:00 a.m. remember the heroes who died in the two world wars by observing a two-minute silence at workplaces, in apartments or even on the streets. As 11 November is not an official holiday in the UK, formal commemorative and wreath-laying ceremonies are held on Remembrance Sunday, which falls on the second Sunday in November. This year again, on this day, the commemorators gathered in the Solymár Commonwealth War Cemetery, which was consecrated on 2 May 1947.

The Annual Service of Remembrance started with a welcome speech and a piper playing the traditional Scottish folksong The Flowers of the Forest, after which the people attending the event observed a two-minute silence to remember the war dead. In what followed, Parliamentary State Secretary and Deputy Minister of Defence Tamás Vargha laid a poppy wreath of remembrance on behalf of Hungary, together with representatives of consulates and military organizations of the United Kingdom, the South African Republic, Malaysia, Canada, Norway, the Republic of Niger, Poland, the Netherlands, Italy, Belgium, Australia, India, Germany and New Zealand. After the wreathing, the commemorators – including representatives of the Anglican, Catholic, Israelite and Presbyterian congregations – prayed together for the 210 British, Polish, South African, Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, Belgian and French crew members and pilots buried in the cemetery and for all fallen heroes of the wars.

Photos by the author