13 Dec 2009, Sai Wan War Cemetery 西灣國殤墳場 -- fotop.net photo sharing network

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+ Sai Wan War Cemetery +

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Sai Wan War Cemetery is at the foothill of Mount Collison, on Cape Collison Road, Chai Wan, on the east of Hong Kong Island.

At the entrance to the cemetery is the Sai Wan Memorial, which is in memory of all those who died in The Battle of Hong Kong and have no known graves.

On the Memorial are the names of 2,000 servicemen who either died in The Battle of Hong Kong in December 1941 or subsequently, due to years of captivity as prisoners of war through barbaric acts carried out by the Japanese, starvation and general ill treatment, and have no known graves.

The cemetery has 1,578 graves, of which 1,013 are British, 283 Canadian, 104 Indian, 72 Dutch, 33 Australian, 53 Hong Kong, and 20 of other nationalities. Among the graves, there are 444 unidentified burials. Servicemen who died as prisoners on the island of Formosa (now known as Taiwan) were also removed and re-buried in Sai Wan War Cemetery in 1946.

The graves are marked with white upright granite headstones, each engraved with the coat-of-arms of the regiment the fallen soldier belonged to. The cemetery is enclosed within a boundary of flowering shrubs and bushes.

An Altar of Remembrance, bearing the words from Ecclesiaticus: "Their Name Liveth For Everfore" marks the top of the flight of stone steps leading down a centre aisle to the cemetery.

In front of the Altar of Remembrance, is the long flight of stone steps leading towards the Cross of Sacrifice, which is a Latin cross, with a sword with the blade pointing down.

A juxtaposition of the Cross of Sacrifice behind a headstone for an unknown soldier from a Canadian Regiment.

Note the wreaths laid a week before in a memorial service organized by Canadian Veteran Association, which was attended by the Prime Minister of Canada, Mr Stephen Harper.

Both the cemetery and memorial were designed by Colin St. Clair Oakes.

For more info, please click,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sai_Wan_War_Cemetery

http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=2000320&mode=1

For the Roll of Honour, please click,

http://www.roll-of-honour.org.uk/Cemeteries/Sai_Wan_War_Cemetery/roll_1939-1945.htm

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"Gortoz a ran" (I'm Waiting) in Breton, performed by Denez Prigent and Lisa Gerrard

Breton

Gortozet 'm eus, gortozet pell
E skeud teñval tourioù gell
E skeud teñval tourioù gell

E skeud teñval an tourioù glav
C'hwi am gwelo 'c'hortoz atav
C'hwi am gwelo 'c'hortoz atav

Un deiz a vo 'teuio en-dro
Dreist ar maezioù, dreist ar morioù

'Teuio en-dro an avel c'hlas
Da analañ va c'halon c'hloaz't

Kaset e vin diouzh e anal
Pell gant ar red, hervez 'deus c'hoant
Hervez 'deus c'hoant pell eus ar bed
Etre ar mor hag ar stered

English Translation

I was waiting, waiting for a long time
In the dark shadow of grey towers
In the dark shadow of grey towers

In the dark shadow of rain towers
You will see me waiting forever
You will see me waiting forever

One day it will come back
Over the lands, over the seas

I was waiting, waiting for a long time
Will come back the blue wind

To breathe my wounded heart, I will be pulled away by its breath
Far away by its stream, wherever it wants
Wherever it wants, far away from this world
Between the sea and the stars

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