Neither rain, heat or Covid-19 could stop the White River MOTHS from remembering the fallen
The MOTHS commemorated its annual celebration differently to preceding years.
As World War I raged on in Europe, countless young men’s lives were sacrificed in the trenches. This was a war unlike any the world had endured and was the precursor to World War II, during which even more even more lives would be lost.
In recognition of the ultimate sacrifice, the Memorable Order of Tin Hats (MOTHS) of the Lowveld District Dugout recently hosted remembrance ceremonies to honour the fallen.
The world is facing a deadly, invisible enemy this year, with the death toll reaching staggering numbers and many healthcare professionals risking their lives on the front lines to fight the Covid-19 pandemic.
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The MOTHS commemorated its annual celebration differently to preceding years.
The international tradition started in 1919 with the first Armistice Day anniversary recently commemorated on November 11, 1919 on the Buckingham Palace grounds where Sir Percy Fitzpatrick introduced the two minutes of silence out of respect for those who had died during the war.
Jack Swanepoel, one of the organisers in the Lowveld, said, “There were three ceremonies, starting in Barberton on November 7, when Lone Tree Shellhole hosted an intimate ceremony under the baobab tree in their Shellhole’s garden.
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“The following day, Remembrance Sunday, it was the turn of Mpumalanga Shellhole in White River. This year the numbers on parade were boosted by the presence of the Crusaders Motorcycle Club,” Swanepoel said.
He added that the Moths of Legogote Shellhole in Mbombela held their annual “Shadow March”. “The organisers are grateful to those members of the public who braved the heat to attend the various events last weekend, as well as the ever-reliable Stevenson-Hamilton Pipe Band and the Lowveld Aero Club.
“Remembering ‘The Fallen’ is one of the three pillars on which the MOTH is built, and, come rain or heat or even a global pandemic, it is a duty they will never fail to perform,” Swanepoel concluded.
