The UK Government has made through the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, Secretary of State for Defence (that OCHD CEO Lead Mr Pritheepal Singh, and UK Nepal Friendship Society Lead Mr Alan Mercel-Sanca met at the 2020 VJ Day 75th Commemoration at the National Arboretum and had brief but valuable discussion with on our BAME and Sikh and Gurkha contributions to British military history and related place of Britan in the world over the past 200 years), an historic formal apology.

BBC News ‘Government apologises over failure to commemorate black and Asian Troops’ link: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56840131

This on the infamous ‘airbrushing out’ often in very brutal forms in for example former British Empire ‘colonies’ / Commonwealth countries War Graves ceremonies [nationals of fallen War Heroes in the given countries & lands being buried in mass graves at the borders of White, UK nationals fallen War Heroes carefully tended cemetaries where the names of these fallen heroes are recorded on ubiquitous/iconic white stine tombstones.

We salute the UK Government for this formal, much needed apology for it allows the heroic BAME War Dead to now rest easy in their graves, and provides a long overdue wake up call to many such as those still comfortable with an outdated National Curriculum.

OCHD is very pleased to share that we have provided via email the BBC News link to our friends/contacts in Southampton City Council (addressed to advised officials, and with city councillors enthusiastically formally supporting copied in) in a context support follow up to our OCHD in conjunction with the Council of Southampton Gurdwara’s nationally and globally noted and enthusiastically supported Sikh Memorial Southampton statue & educational initiative.

The latter, in so many ways is at the crest of the tide of history and is a nationally important BAME communities and overall UK community Multicultural 21st Century Britain initiative.  We are delighted to share how great is the extent of Southampton City Council councillors (including, some time ago now the key important and greatly appreciated formal emailed support of the Council Leader, Cllr Christopher Hammond for this wonderful nationally important initiative).