(Hatteras) - Grave ceremonies in Buxton and Ocracoke will be held on May 7 and 8 to honor British and Canadian sailors who gave their lives during WWII. The first ceremony will be held at 11 a.m., May 7, at the WWII British Cemetery near the lighthouse in Buxton with a reception following at 1 p.m. at the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum in Hatteras.
On May 8, the memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. at the British Cemetery in Ocracoke with a reception following at the Ocracoke Community Center at 1 p.m.
Participants will include representatives from the Coast Guard, the British and Canadian Embassies, US Navy, The Royal Air Force, Canadian Navy, the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, the Friends of the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum. Johnnie Baum, the Hatteras Island Poet, will read a poem commemorating the event.
A 21-gun salute will commemorate the loss of British and Canadian sailors from the HM Trawler Bedfordshire and MV San Delfino recovered from the waters surrounding the barrier islands.
Special recognition on May 8 will be given to Theodore Mutro, who died in Ocracoke on March 2, 2009. He was stationed at Ocracoke with the United States Coast Guard in 1941 and was the last living member of the burial detail during WWII for Stanley Craig and Sub. Lt. Tom Cunningham of the HMT Bedfordshire.
Student representation at the annual ceremonies will be expanded this year to incorporate the reading of the Roll of Honor and the history of the event. Zachery Gillikin and Lauren Kostich will represent the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies and Michelle Cartwright-Frye and Tristam Harm Bennink will represent the Ocracoke School.
Brad Dunnigan , a student at the Cape Hatteras Secondary School of Coastal Studies will play Taps at the Buxton Ceremony. Howard Bennink, a teacher at Ocracoke School will play Taps at the Ocracoke Ceremony.
The ceremonies are open to the public. For more information, call the Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum at 986-2995. The Graveyard of the Atlantic Museum, located next to Ferry’s Dock in Hatteras, presents the maritime heritage and history of the shipwrecks of North Carolina’s Outer Banks, and is part of the Division of State History Museums in the Department of Cultural Resources. Join in observing the 2009 theme “Treasure N.C. Culture”. Cultural Resources is the state agency dedicated to the promotion and protection of North Carolina’s arts, history and culture. Now podcasting 24/7 with information about the Department of Cultural Resources available at www.ncculture.com.