One town almost canceled its Remembrance Day tribute, when organizers were asked to pay for insurance against a potential terrorist attack.
For 80 years, the townsfolk of Troon, Scotland have paid tribute to fallen soldiers, sailors and airmen; servicemen from the area who fought in some of the bitterest and bloody campaigns of both World Wars, including the disaster at Gallipoli in Turkey, and the Bridge too Far at Arnhem, in the Netherlands.
But one year, preparations for the 2007 Remembrance Day commemorations were put on hold, as members of the Troon Royal British Legion branch were left scrambling to pay for public liability coverage, after receiving notices demanding proof of insurance.
“The first thing it asks is if there is anybody who needs to be protected from terrorists – they don’t seem to realize what this is all about,” David Kelly, secretary of the British Legion’s Troon branch, told the Scottish Express at the time. “We can’t afford the insurance; it’s about £200, but we give most of our money to charity and we are all volunteers.”
The seeds of the problem were planted when the local Legion branch decided to take over the organization of the Remembrance Sunday parade several years previous, as before it was run by the South Ayrshire Council, which as a local authority automatically had public liability coverage for events like parades and other public gatherings. (continued.)
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But just five weeks prior to the ceremonies, the Legion received insurance forms inquiring about any potential terror threat to the parade and how many of its members required protection from attack.
The surprise demand for insurance hit home especially hard, as that year’s ceremonies fell on the true anniversary of the close of the Great War.
“The event is particularly poignant this year since the eleventh of the eleventh falls on a Sunday, the day that World War 1 ended,” said Kelly. “It’s not looking good for the town. We’ve had to tell everyone that it is all on hold. We’ve asked various people if they’d be able to take it over but so far we’ve had no response and time is running out.”
Fortunately for the good people of Troon, the Remembrance Day ceremonies did go forward – thanks to support from the local council.
