Lest we forget, on the road to Alexandria

A year ago today, Syd and I were rumbling along on a bus to Alexandria as the hour approached 11 a.m. I was thinking about Remembrance Day ceremonies back home.

“We really should do something to mark Remembrance Day,” I said to Syd. “Maybe I should go on the P.A. and say something.”

“Why don’t you?” she encouraged me.

The driver was confused about why I wanted to use his P.A. system. He knew nothing about Remembrance Day (I may been the only man in Egypt wearing a poppy that day), but I was kindly handed the microphone and as the big clock at the front of the bus hit 11, I asked people for their attention.

“In honour of those who have fallen in war and conflict, and those who continue to protect us from harm, in many parts of the world, let us observe a minute of silence,” I said.

And for the next 60 seconds, not a word was spoken. It can seem like a long time as you’re tooling along on a crowded Egyptian road, but everyone was respectful. The fact the Egyptians (who celebrate their own Armed Forces Day in October) who were with us didn’t know what it was all about, but understood that it was important, made that minute all the more poignant.