BHC commemorates 60th anniversary of enlistment of Seychellois veterans to the British armed forces |04 December 2021

Minister Errol Fonseka ‒ a veteran of the Special Air Service ‒ was invited to cut a cake to mark the occasion

BHC commemorates 60th anniversary of enlistment of Seychellois veterans to the British armed forces

A group of Seychellois veterans of the British Armed Forces were recently reunited, during a small-scale event that was held at the British residence in Seychelles last week.

The outdoor and Covid-compliant event commemorated the 60th anniversary of the enlistment of a group of Seychellois recruits, who travelled to the United Kingdom (UK) to serve across different regiments of the British Armed Forces in 1961.

After introductory remarks were made by British High Commissioner Patrick Lynch and Seychellois veteran Gilbert Elisa,High Commissioner Lynch was joined by Major Renny Bulmer (Royal Marines) to present each veteran with a commemorative shield as a token of gratitude for their service. Veterans were also presented with a pin denoting the regiment in which they served.

To conclude the short ceremony, Errol Fonseka, Minister of Internal Affairs and a veteran of the British Armed Forces,was invited to cut a commemorative cake to mark the special occasion. Veterans were then afforded the time to mingle and recount stories over food and refreshments, with many of them meeting one another again for the first time, since initially departing fromSeychelles in 1961.

The first batch of 34 recruits ‒ ranging from 17 to 24 years of age – departed Seychelles for Kenya on the passenger cargo ship, the T.S.S ‘State of Bombay’, in July 1961. Recruits then sailed for three days to Mombasa, before being transported on an overnight train to Nairobi. From there, recruits flew in batches over a six-week period to England, where they landed at Stansted Airport in Essex. They were then transported to their various training establishments, which included locations such as: Aldershot (Hampshire),Catterick (North Yorkshire), Guildford (Surrey) and other parts of England.

Following their training, recruits then joined their respective regiments, before being posted wherever the British Armed Forces were servingaround the world. Seychellois recruits joined 14different regiments within the British Armed Forces, which – at the time – included:

The Cheshire Regiment, the Gloucestershire Regiment, the King’s Own Royal Border Regiment, the Queen’s Regiment, the Royal Army Service Corps, the Royal Corps of Transport, the Women’s Royal Army Corps, the Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps, the Royal Anglian Regiment, the Royal Army Medical Corps, the Royal Artillery, the Corps of Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers, the Royal Corps of Signals, and the Special Air Service.

Commenting on the event – as well as the British High Commission’s plans for future engagement with Seychellois veterans of the British Armed Forces – High Commissioner Lynch said:

“It was our pleasure to welcome valued Seychellois veterans of the British Armed Forces on this momentous occasion to the British residence in Seychelles, for this small but symbolic token of our gratitude and respect for their service.

“I can only imagine what it must have been like for this courageous group of then-young men in 1961. They left these islands for the first time – with virtually no means of communication with loved ones back home – to brave a new country, as well as the UK’s infamous bitterly-cold winter.

“At the Cenotaph three weeks ago, I spoke about the debt of gratitude that we owe to our veterans. Whilst we can never fully repay that debt, we need to do more. A global pandemic has delayed our efforts, but we are very pleased that our new events and engagement officer, Jackie Bulmer, who has spent many years working with British army veterans, will be leading our local work.

“I have had the privilege to hear many stories of these veterans’ years of service ‒ some tragic, some heart-warming, some joyous ‒ but all with a common thread of comradeship. These stories form an important part of the shared history of our two great countries and we look forward to engaging with them further, as part of our ‘Veterans Voices’ project. We are excited by the prospect of capturing all of these memories in one place, and sharing them so that we can all learn from the experiences of the past.”  

Press release from the British High Commission