Using the Plot and Row numbers Faxed to me by the Assistant Manager of the Hong Kong Cemetery I managed to find Great Uncle Reg. That was one of the most powerful moments I have yet experienced on this trip.
When I first arrived at the cemetery I was confronted with a great plaque that told me of the sacrifice in defending Hong Kong. It mentioned the soldiers that fought and sacrificed their lives, even though they knew they could not win.
Inside the cemetery I was able to find the grave. It was beautiful. The tombstone itself is simple, and there are no great monuments nearby, but the simple terraces of graves are oddly serene in a way I cannot adequately explain.
I sat there for a time and wrote.
We was 35 when he died. When I read that I could see the faces of all of the people I love cycling through my mind. For that brief instant I felt as if I could begin to understand the meaning of his sacrifice, if only for a moment.
I never met Reginald Cooke, afterall his death is three times my own age away, but visiting that spot I felt a certain kind of pride in my name.
Too all of the people who fought for our freedom...
Thank you.
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