World War II veterans and delegates from former foes gathered on Saturday in the Egyptian town of El-Alamein to mark 70 years since the decisive battle that sealed the Allied victory in North Africa.
Many on wheelchairs or using walking sticks, the veterans — most now in their 90s — wandered the cemeteries where their comrades were buried, handkerchiefs in hand as emotions welled.
“I already came for the 50th and 60th anniversaries. When you walk here between the graves of these young fellows, when you see names that you knew, you feel sad,” said Joe Madeley, an Australian veteran who also fought in the Libyan town of Tobruk 70 years ago.
Photo: Reuters
“I’m happy to able to be here, but it’s difficult to express my feelings,” said William Bristow from New Zealand, who was 24 when he fought in the war.
With so few surviving World War II veterans, the ceremony could be the last of its kind.
The international commemoration, organized by Britain, was held in the Commonwealth cemetery in the Mediterranean town where more than 7,000 soldiers from the member countries have been buried, as well as around 100 soldiers of other nationalities.
About 60 veterans, including Australians, New Zealanders, British, French, Greeks, Italians and Germans traveled to El-Alamein, now a sprawling seaside resort 120km west of Alexandria.
“It’s a more emotional trip than I had imagined,” Frenchman Jean-Mathieu Boris, 91, said.
Today’s Mediterranean coast, dotted with hotels and holiday compounds, is a far cry from the one Boris remembers.
“You have to use your imagination, because in 1942 it was only a dot on the map in the desert,” he told reporters.
Dignitaries at the ceremony included New Zealand Defense Minister Jonathan Coleman and Italian Chamber of Deputies President Gianfranco Fini.
Other countries were represented by their ministers for veterans’ affairs, while the British and German military attaches in Egypt gave speeches.
“Together we celebrate all that has been achieved since those days through cooperation with people across the world, especially our reconciliation and friendship with former enemies,” Reverend Mike Parker of Cairo’s All Saints Cathedral told attendants.
Separate national ceremonies were also held on the site of the battle, notably at the Italian cemetery where about 5,200 soldiers are buried and the German cemetery, the final resting place for 4,200 German soldiers.
The battle of El-Alamein — which began on Oct. 23, 1942 — saw British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery’s forces fight the Afrika Korps of Germany’s Erwin Rommel.
The defeat of the German and Italian forces put an end to Axis leaders Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini’s ambitions to take over the port of Alexandria on the Mediterranean and the Suez Canal.
The battle was a major turning point in the war, halting the advance of the Axis in North Africa before the final victory a year later.
Several protesters gathered outside the cemetery holding signs recalling that, 70 years after the war, the area is still littered with mines.
FRAUD ALLEGED: The leader of an opposition alliance made allegations of electoral irregularities and called for a protest in Tirana as European leaders are to meet Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama’s Socialist Party scored a large victory in parliamentary elections, securing him his fourth term, official results showed late on Tuesday. The Socialist Party won 52.1 percent of the vote on Sunday compared with 34.2 percent for an alliance of opposition parties led by his main rival Sali Berisha, according to results released by the Albanian Central Election Commission. Diaspora votes have yet to be counted, but according to initial results, Rama was also leading there. According to projections, the Socialist Party could have more lawmakers than in 2021 elections. At the time, it won 74 seats in the
EUROPEAN FUTURE? Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama says only he could secure EU membership, but challenges remain in dealing with corruption and a brain drain Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama seeks to win an unprecedented fourth term, pledging to finally take the country into the EU and turn it into a hot tourist destination with some help from the Trump family. The artist-turned-politician has been pitching Albania as a trendy coastal destination, which has helped to drive up tourism arrivals to a record 11 million last year. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, also joined in the rush, pledging to invest US$1.4 billion to turn a largely deserted island into a luxurious getaway. Rama is expected to win another term after yesterday’s vote. The vote would
CANCER: Jose Mujica earned the moniker ‘world’s poorest president’ for giving away much of his salary and living a simple life on his farm, with his wife and dog Tributes poured in on Tuesday from across Latin America following the death of former Uruguayan president Jose “Pepe” Mujica, an ex-guerrilla fighter revered by the left for his humility and progressive politics. He was 89. Mujica, who spent a dozen years behind bars for revolutionary activity, lost his battle against cancer after announcing in January that the disease had spread and he would stop treatment. “With deep sorrow, we announce the passing of our comrade Pepe Mujica. President, activist, guide and leader. We will miss you greatly, old friend,” Uruguayan President Yamandu Orsi wrote on X. “Pepe, eternal,” a cyclist shouted out minutes later,
A Croatian town has come up with a novel solution to solve the issue of working parents when there are no public childcare spaces available: pay grandparents to do it. Samobor, near the capital, Zagreb, has become the first in the country to run a “Grandmother-Grandfather Service,” which pays 360 euros (US$400) a month per child. The scheme allows grandparents to top up their pension, but the authorities also hope it will boost family ties and tackle social isolation as the population ages. “The benefits are multiple,” Samobor Mayor Petra Skrobot told reporters. “Pensions are rather low and for parents it is sometimes
RSS