Meghalaya delegation identifies three Garo World War I graves in Malta
A Meghalaya delegation has identified the graves of three Garo men who served with the British 69th Garo Labour Company during World War I, officials said. The men were buried at Malta’s Pieta Military Cemetery, where the delegation also paid tribute to a fourth Garo member.
A delegation from Meghalaya has identified the graves of three Garo men who served with the British 69th Garo Labour Company during World War I, officials said on Saturday. The graves are at the Commonwealth-maintained Pieta Military Cemetery in Malta. The delegation, led by Meghalaya Assembly Speaker Thomas A.
Sangma, paid homage to four Garo men from the state buried at the cemetery. The three newly identified graves belong to Ading Marak, Join Marak and Sangjim Sangma. Ading Marak and Join Marak died on June 10, 1918, while Sangjim Sangma died on June 19, 1918, according to officials.
Until the visit, the grave of Khew Marak, who died on June 15, 1918, was understood to be the only known grave at the cemetery of a Garo member of the 69th Garo Labour Company. “We have successfully identified the graves of three Garo men at Malta. We were made to understand that they came to assist the Allies during World War I,” Sangma told PTI, according to the supplied report.
The Garo Labour Company was one of the labour units recruited from the region to support the Allied war effort. Its members carried out work including road construction, maintenance and the transport of supplies. Sangma said the visit was significant for Meghalaya because it highlighted the resting places and contributions of Garo men whose wartime service had remained largely unknown.
The delegation included Deputy Speaker Limison D Sangma, Deputy Chief Whip Ronnie V. Lyngdoh and Meghalaya Tourism Development Corporation chairman Marthon J. Sangma.
The group also included Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Secretary Malthus S. Sangma and Deputy Secretary Raja Kharpuri. According to Thomas, the Malta visit formed part of a post-conference study tour after the delegation attended the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association Conference in Cape Town, South Africa.
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