St Dunstan’s College honours fallen soldiers
The service served as a reminder to young people of the sacrifices made for the sake of peace.
St Dunstan’s College commemorated Remembrance Day on November 11, paying tribute to the brave soldiers who lost their lives during the world wars.
Veteran soldiers from various service organisations attended the service, along with other dignitaries.
Attendees wore red poppies as a symbol of remembrance and placed wreaths to honour the fallen soldiers.
The service served as a reminder to young people of the sacrifices made for the sake of peace.
Addressing the guests and learners, Lieutenant Colonel Kevin Townsend of the Witwatersrand Rifles Regimental Association noted that, at 11:00 on November 11, 1918, the guns fell silent, ending the “war to end all wars” after eight and a half million military personnel were killed over the four years.
“Wars have been fought for thousands of years. In ancient times, wars were fought with spears, swords, and bows and arrows. With the invention of muskets and cannons, human losses increased. Wars were fought not only on land but also at sea as empires fought each other.
“The invention of the rifle, machine guns, and explosive shells had an even greater effect and led to even greater losses.”
Townsend said that today the world witnesses conflicts in Northern Mozambique, Central Africa, and Sudan, as well as the full-scale wars being waged in Ukraine and Palestine.
“We see the effects of intelligent and smart missiles, stealth bombers, and drone warfare, all controlled by modern electronic systems to obliterate and annihilate enemy targets. But what of the lives that are lost daily? Thousands of soldiers and civilians are being wiped out like flies.”
He shared that, as veterans, they do not celebrate or brag about their participation in warfare but instead recognise the sacrifices of their fellow comrades in arms.
“That is why we are here today, to remember the fallen, to remind ourselves of the futility of war, and to continue the legacy left by the founders of your school,” Townsend said.
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