Animals honoured at remembrance
We would like to thank the Eastbourne Combined Ex-Services Association (ECESA) for so generously enabling us to take part in the official Remembrance Day parade and service, held on Sunday, November 8.
The ECESA voted unanimously, warmly and whole-heartedly to include us. Alongside all the other wreaths, each bearing very moving messages, our wreath of purple poppies was laid at the war memorial in remembrance of the millions of working animals who die in wars and who are 'edited out' of historical records.
Many of these animals, including equines, dogs, pigeons, sea lions and dolphins, as well as companion mascots, continue to be injured and, perhaps most heart-breakingly, abandoned when troops pull out of war zones – to the distress of troops working alongside them.
We should also like to thank the tremendous support we received for this initiative from all sides of the community including councillors and the mayor of Eastbourne, Greg Szanto, the Alexandra Bastedo and Barby Keels animal sanctuaries and, in particular, Trevor Weeks of the East Sussex Wildlife Rescue and Ambulance.
In addition, we were helped and encouraged by the Eastbourne Vegetarian Society, national organisations Animal Aid (which supplied the purple poppies and wreaths), VIVA! and Quaker Concern for Animals.
International supporters were Mayhew International, which works in Kabul to improve conditions for animals there and The Brooke, the UK's leading overseas equine welfare charity, improving the lives of horses, donkeys and mules working in the poorest parts of the world through its mobile vet teams.
We believe Eastbourne is the very first town outside London to pay formal tribute to animals in war. At the service, both those participating in the parade and on-lookers said how much they appreciated animals being included in this way.
Bill Palethorpe and Ann Johnson, Beachy Head Road
Eastbourne
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Friday 25 May 2012
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