In 2021, on Remembrance Sunday, Chairman Lord Sheikh organised a commemoration event at the Muslim Burial Ground Peace Garden in Woking.
You can read about it and watch a video on our page “Remembrance Sunday visit to Muslim Burial Ground Peace Garden“. That page also gives a short history of the Peace Garden.
This year Lord Sheikh was planning a much larger scale event on 20 November 2022 (chosen to avoid clashing with the national Remembrance Sunday Commemoration at the Cenotaph) when he sadly died.
The Trustees were determined to have the event go ahead, and two anonyous donors funded the cost to NMWMT.
Guide to the video below
The cutting of the video below shows almost all of the commemoration ceremony, but not in the precise sequence of the programme. For example, the speakers are shown laying their wreaths during the audio of their talks.
The numbers in brackets are the times on the video.
Prayer — Imam Saeed Hashmi, Imam of Shah Jahan Mosque (2:13)
Master of Ceremonies — Warrant Officer Ashok Chauhan (4:46)
Welcome — Mohammed Amin MBE, Chairman of NMWMT (4:52)
Prayer — Pastor Steve Petch, Welcome Church, Woking (7:26)
Addresses
- Air Marshal Martin Sampson CBE (9:32)
- Cllr Saj Hussain, Mayor of Woking (15:01)
- The Lord Sharpe of Epsom OBE (17:45)
- Brigadier Vikramjit Singh Gill, Military Advisor, High Commission of India (20:27)
- Dr Zafar Iqbal (23:40)
- Cdr Mak Chishty, Vice Chairman of NMWMT (31:55)
- Fakhrah Brisby (34:50)
- Haji Yusufu Mpoza, Special Envoy of the Mufti of Uganda (37:34)
- Lady Shaida Sheikh (38:41)
Quran recitation Imam (Squadron Leader) Ali Omar, Imam to HM Armed Forces (41:12)
The Exhortation Read by Dr. Husna Ahmad (43:09)
“They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, We will remember them.”
The Last Post (43:27)
Kohima Epitaph Read by Warrant Officer Abbas Salihu (44:35)
“When You Go Home, Tell Them of Us and Say For Your Tomorrow, We Gave Our Today”
Laying of Wreaths
- Mohammed Amin MBE (7:04)
- Air Marshal Martin Sampson CBE (14:44)
- Cllr Saj Hussain, Mayor of Woking (17:31)
- The Lord Sharpe of Epsom OBE (20:15)
- Brigadier Vikramjit Singh Gill, Military Advisor, High Commission of India (23:20)
- Cdr Mak Chishty (34:36)
- Fakhrah Brisby (37:22)
- Lady Shaida Sheikh (40:51)
We are very grateful to the Al-Khair Foundation for recording and editing the video pro-bono.
The photograph near the top of the page is Sergeant Mohammad Hussain who is included in our Veterans Project section. He was mentioned by several of the speakers.
The photograph below, taken while Mohammed Amin was speaking, shows the layout of the Peace Garden.
The photograph below shows, from the left, Lady Sheikh, Air Marshal Martin Sampson CBE, and Mrs Sampson.
Immediately behind them are the wreaths and flowers that were laid. The vertical memorial in the water feature records the names of the 27 Muslim servicemen from the two World Wars who were buried here before their bodies were moved to Brookwood Military Cemetery in 1969.
After the ceremonies were concluded, NMWMT provided an informal meal at Pyrford Village War Memorial Hall.
As well as allowing those attending to warm up as it had been a sombre event on a very cold day, it was an excellent opportunity for the participants to get to know each other better.
