UK and Gambia honour fallen soldiers at Fajara remembrance service
The British High Commission in Banjul and the Gambian government held an Act of Remembrance for those who died in the world wars and later conflicts.
Officials, security personnel, religious leaders, diplomats, veterans and members of the public gathered at the Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Fajara for a solemn Act of Remembrance. The ceremony honoured people who died in the two World Wars and later conflicts, with special tribute to Gambian soldiers who fought alongside British and Allied forces in Africa and the Far East.
The British High Commissioner took as this year's theme "Service in a Changing World", saying that modern security challenges keep changing while courage, duty, professionalism and selfless service stay the same. More than 20 million soldiers died in the First World War alone, and millions more in the Second World War and the conflicts that followed, a reminder of the human cost of war.
The cemetery holds the graves of 236 Gambian servicemen who died in the conflicts. The ceremony also acknowledged the growing ties between the British and Gambian armed forces, which rest on shared values, mutual respect and a common commitment to peace and security.
Why it mattersGambian families and veterans gain formal recognition of their dead, with 236 servicemen commemorated at the Fajara cemetery.