On Sunday November 15th 2020, the 23rd 'Remembrance Day' service, sponsored by the Taiwan POW Camps Memorial Society and assisted by the New Zealand Commerce & Industry Office in Taipei, took place on the site of the former Kinkaseki POW Camp in the Taiwan POW Memorial Park in Jinguashi.
2020 commemorates the 75th anniversary of VJ Day and the end of World War II, and despite the limitations due to Covid-19 it was a wonderful event attended by another record crowd of more than 150 local friends and supporters.
Unfortunately, we were unable to accommodate any overseas FEPOW visitors, so the service was a totally Taiwan event. Covid restrictions were in place and everyone wore masks, had their temperatures taken and tried their best at social distancing.
The service commenced at 11:00 am with Piper Mal Turner playing a march on the bagpipes. Mark Wilkie, Society Deputy Director, emceed the service. Moira Turley, Director of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei brought a message on behalf of the Commonwealth and Allied representatives.
For this special 75th Anniversary of the End of World War II service we were honoured once again to have the Minister of Taiwan's Veterans Affairs Council, General (Ret.) Feng, Hsi-Kuan with us, along with the Vice-President of the Veterans Association of the ROC, V/Admiral Chiang, Hai-An. This year for the first time a delegation from the Taiwanese Veterans Association joined us from Kaohsiung, led by their chairman Dr. Watson Zhu. They all addressed the gathering. The Society director also brought a message on remembrance, which focused on the sacrifices of so many to win the freedom we now enjoy today.
Readings of remembrance were rendered by Bernie Moore on behalf of the New Zealand Returned Services Association, and Tony Hu, representing the American Veterans of Foreign Wars. Jane Cowan and daughter Abigail shared why we should wear poppies, and Rebecca Day rendered the poem 'Remember'. Rev. Dr. Herbert Barker, the Society's chaplain, brought his usual stirring message on remembrance and closed the service with a prayer. Then the song 'It Has Always Been the Soldier' by the Old Time Gospel Hour Quartet was played to bring the first part of the service to a close. Many commented afterward on how meaningful the song was to them.
Then the wreaths were laid on the memorial accompanied by Mal playing 'The Lament' on the bagpipes. Two very special guests this year were Taiwanese veterans - Mr. Yang, Fu-Cheng, a 100 year-old former soldier who served in the Japanese Army in Singapore, and Ms. Liao, Su-Hsia who worked as a nurse in Shanghai in World War II. They accompanied Mr. Chang, Au-Wei - a former local Taiwan miner at the time of the POWs, to lay the wreath for the POWs.
Following the wreath-laying, the 'Act of Remembrance' was carried out with the playing of Last Post, two minutes silence and Rouse by Ray Heberer. Mal brought the ceremony to a final close with a couple of verses of 'Amazing Grace', Then a number gathered for photos around the memorial before adjourning for lunch and a time of fellowship in the nearby community centre. Despite the limitation of the virus we were pleased that here in Taiwan we could still hold our annual Remembrance Day event. Here are a few photos by TPCMS board member William Wang from the day's event. . .
Mark Wilkie Moira Turley - NZCIO Gen. Feng, Minister VAC V/Adm. Chiang, VAROC Dr. Zhu, TVA
Ms. Rebecca Day Rev. Herb Barker Part of the crowd Ms. Liao & Mr. Yang Veterans laying a wreath
Taiwan Veterans Assoc. Minister Feng, VAC Delegation TPCMS New Taipei City Gov't. Amazing Grace
Our thanks to the caring, diligent and hard-working staff of the New Zealand Commerce and Industry Office in Taipei for all their help, and also to all those who came out to remember the veterans to whom we owe a debt that can never be repaid.
LEST WE FORGET!