British West India Regiments Heritage Trust CIC
Who We Are
The British West India Regiments Heritage Trust (BWIRHT) is a not-for-profit organisation remembering, honouring and commemorating the centuries of military service and sacrifice made by West Indians and their modern-day descendants.
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We promote West Indian military heritage for public benefit, through commemorative events, and education. Our strength lies not only in the words we stand by, but most importantly in the actions of our initiatives. We strive to make a positive change in all of our pursuits.
Commemoration Library
It gives us tremendous pride to share the hard work we do here at BWIRHT.
Explore some of our content below.
If they inspire you to get involved? Don’t hesitate to reach out!
Since its opening on March 24th 1929, St George’s Church in Ypres, Belgium has served as an important meeting point for many pilgrims over the decades and as memorial to the fallen. The church is beautifully adorned with brass wall plaques, banners, stained glass windows, kneelers cushions and bells, all memorialising regiments and individuals who gave their lives fighting on the Western Front for the freedoms that we enjoy today. Visitors come from all over the world to pay their respects, to find their lost relatives, contemplate the cost of war and to find inspiration. Until October 5th 2024 there was no mention of the British West Indies Regiment’s contribution on the Western Front. In partnership with St Georges Memorial Church, we rectified this omission.
Memorial WWII Veteran
Mr Neil Flanigan MBE 1924 - 2024
On March 21st 2024, WWII veteran Mr Neil Flanigan MBE, died peacefully at his home aged 99 years, two months shy of his 100th birthday. Mr Flanigan was one of the last five surviving WWII Windrush Veterans and an ambassador and promoter of BWIRHT. Mr Flanigan was a prominent member of the original Windrush generation, and up until his passing, active in many forms of community development. He would regularly deliver talks in schools and at Windrush and WWII commemorations across the UK.
On Friday 24th May (which would have been his 100th birthday) we hosted a memorial service at London, City Hall, to honour Mr Flanigan’s remarkable life, contributions and legacy.
Calypsonian Storytelling
Written and sung by Alexander D Great
Alexander D. Great is the leading modern day Calypsonian musician and educator outside of the Caribbean. Trinidad born and raised in England, he has enjoyed a widely varied and successful musical career. At the request of the BWIRHT Executive and in preparation for Cum By Yah 2, Alexander composed a song to commemorate the work of BWIRHT and tell the history of the British West India Regiments. This has become the official song for BWIRHT.
Making History
The Menin Gates 2023
Each day at the Menin gate in Ypres, there is a ceremony held at 20.00hrs. Buglers play a simple moving Last Post tribute to the memory of soldiers who fought and died there many years ago. On 13th October 2023, BWIRHT made history, presenting standards and wreath laying to honour the fallen of West Indian Heritage..
Cum By Yah 2
Beyond Frontiers 2023
The British West India Regiments Heritage Trust (BWIRHT) took a delegation to Lijssenthoek Military Cemetery in October 2023. The delegation was made up of serving, reservists, and veterans from the Caribbean diaspora who have served in the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force and Commonwealth Defence Services. We hosted a commemorative wreath laying ceremony to honour West Indian Armed Forces personnel who lost their lives whilst serving in France and Belgium during World War One.
Cum By Yah 1 : Étaples, Northern France October 2022
The British West India Regiments Heritage Trust (BWIRHT) supported by the Royal British Legion, took a delegation to the military cemetery in Ètaples in Northern France on 1st October 2022. We hosted a commemorative wreath laying ceremony to honour West Indian Armed Forces personnel who lost their lives whilst serving in France during World War One.