At 11am this morning the North Irish Horse Regimental Association organised a wreath laying party, in Carrickfergus, to commemorate the 76th Anniversary of the battles of the Hitler Line, which took place in Italy in 1944. The North Irish Horse provided vital support to the Canadian Infantry. As a result of the breaking of the Hitler Line and in "appreciation of the support they received" the regiment was asked by the Canadians to wear the Maple Leaf insignia of the Canadian Military, which they wear to this day.

​Due to Government restrictions, strict social distancing measures were were in place, there was no parade or social gathering afterwards. It was also decided that the wreath laying party would not wear uniform.

Wreath laying party:
1). Mr David McCorkell; HM's Lord-Lieutenant for County Antrim
2) Alderman Maureen Morrow;  Madam Mayor, Mid and East Antrim Borough Council
3) Colonel Nick Tougher for the People and Government of Canada
4) Colonel John Rollins, MBE; Honorary Colonel The North Irish Horse
5) Major David Weir; Officer Commanding B (North Irish Horse) Squadron, Scottish and North Irish Yeomanry (SNIY), for all serving officers and soldiers of SNIY Sabre Sqn and R Signals Sqn.

The Act of Remembrance:
On completion of the wreath laying the Standard bearer dipped the Standard. The Orator, Major Derek Irvine R Sigs (V),  read the "Ode to the fallen" and recited the names of the 34 North Irish Horse killed in action. 

​The Government has announced that the Birthday Honours, released in June each year to mark Her Majesty The Queen's official birthday, will be delayed until the Autumn. This is to allow those who have contributed to the response to the coronavirus crisis to be included.

Anyone can nominate someone who lives in the UK for a national honour. This contribution during COVID19 could include:
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• frontline work supporting the most vulnerable members of society and those who have caught COVID-19
• providing critical care to COVID-19 patients
• developing innovations to support the vulnerable and those with COVID-19
• going to extraordinary lengths to keep critical services going
• volunteering in the community or for service organisations in support of those affected by COVID-19

For further information, and to download the COVID19 honours nomination form, please click on the link below:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-honours-nomination-form 

Please note that the COVID19 honours nominations must be submitted by email before the 24th July 2020.

For more information, click here to view our National Honours page, which contains some other useful links and advise.

The Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell, has been appointed Squadron President of 817 (Lisburn) Squadron of the Royal Air Force Air Cadets. 

The Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim commented "I am honoured to be appointed as the Squadron President. I look forward to visiting as soon as the restrictions are lifted and supporting them in the important role that they play going forward. I have been impressed with the high standards of the Squadron and the wide-ranging opportunities that are available to the cadets". 

"​I would like to congratulate all of those who took part in the events, throughout County Antrim, to commemorate the 75th Anniversary of VE Day over the Bank Holiday weekend. Despite the circumstances, it was wonderful to see such a sense of community, even during these times of social distancing. 

In particular, I would like to single out Antrim & Newtownabbey Borough, Lisburn & Castlereagh City and Mid & East Antrim Borough Councils for their excellent Virtual VE Day 75 content.

Until we meet again, stay safe & well."

David McCorkell, Her Majesty's Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim

Her Majesty The Queen this evening addressed the nation at 9pm to mark the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Victory in Europe (VE Day). To watch the full address, please click here.
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         "Never give up, never despair - that was the message of VE Day"
                                                                                  Her Majesty The Queen

​God Save The Queen. 

Today marks the 75th Anniversary of the Allied Victory in Europe on 8th May 1945 (VE Day). Due to the unprecedented circumstances we find ourselves in because of COVID19, many of the planned events had to be cancelled. However, the Lord-Lieutenant of County Antrim, Mr David McCorkell, has been involved in a number of virtual events throughout  County Antrim to mark the 75th Anniversary of VE Day. Please see our Twitter Account for full information, by clicking here.

To see the Lord-Lieutenant's message delivered as part of Lisburn & Castlereagh City Council's virtual commemoration, held on Facebook, please see below and skip to 9 minutes 33 seconds:

WeVideo Link available here