Patrick Vernon

Honouring the Legacy of the West Indian Soldiers: BWIRHT’s “CUM BY YAH 4 – The Celebration

In October 2025, the British West India Regiments Heritage Trust (BWIRHT) successfully held its fourth commemorative heritage tour, titled “CUM BY YAH 4 – The Celebration.” The three-day event, which took place from 24–26 October 2025, was a moving and memorable Black History Month tribute that brought together descendants, historians, and supporters to honour the West Indian and Caribbean soldiers who served in the Great War.

A Journey of Remembrance and Celebration

The programme began on Friday, 24 October, with the group departing from the Army Reserve Centre in Tulse Hill, London, and travelling to Lomme, Lille on the France–Belgium border. That evening, participants gathered for a three-course celebratory dinner at SHAPE, Mons, marking the beginning of a weekend dedicated to reflection, remembrance, and connection.

On Saturday, 25 October, attendees visited the Canada Farm Cemetery and Poperinge New Cemetery in Belgium — both resting places for soldiers of the British West Indies Regiment (BWIR). A memorial service was later held at St George’s Memorial Church in Ypres, honouring the 110th anniversary of the BWIR (1915–1921). The service recognised the 15,600 West Indians who served during the First World War, including the nearly 1,500 who gave their lives and the more than 1,100 who were wounded or fatally ill.

Following the service, a reception and presentation were led by historian Dr. Dominiek Dendooven, and the day concluded with the BWIRHT delegation’s participation in the Menin Gate daily ceremony, where the Last Post was sounded in tribute to the fallen. The evening closed with a dinner at Captain Cook, Ypres, reflecting on the day’s solemn commemorations.

Honouring Forgotten Heroes

A special focus of this year’s tour was the commemoration of Private 7225 Robert Alphonso Smith, who left Jamaica in 1917 to join the BWIR and was later killed in action. His sacrifice was honoured at his resting place in Canada Farm Cemetery, with his niece Beulah Coombs (née Smith) — author of My Uncle Robert — joining the tour to share her family’s story.

The group also carried the “Flame of Remembrance” in the specially commissioned lantern “Mary (Seacole)”, created as part of the Light in the Darkest Hour project. This lantern symbolises the enduring light of memory for those West Indian men and women who served and sacrificed, including heroes like Gunner Douglas Roy Manley and Private Herbert Morris, whose names and stories have too often been overlooked by history.

The final day, Sunday, 26 October, included a poignant visit to Wimereux Cemetery, where participants paid tribute at the resting place of Lt. Col. John McCrae, the author of In Flanders Fields, alongside 20 West Indian soldiers buried there. The group then returned to the UK via the Eurotunnel, closing a deeply meaningful journey that bridged continents, generations, and memories.

Through this tour, BWIRHT continued its mission to honour the military heritage of West Indian and Caribbean service personnel, educate the public about their enduring contributions, and reconnect families with their ancestral legacies.

For more information about the British West India Regiments Heritage Trust and its ongoing heritage projects, visit www.bwirht.org