Nat´l Veterans’ Day to be marked commemorating war veterans

National Veterans’ Day will be celebrated across the country on Wednesday, April 27 to commemorate the contributions of veterans of the Lapland War and World War II.

This year the main commemorative event will take place in the eastern Finland city of Lappeenranta.

A monument unveiling ceremony in honour of Mannerheim Cross Knight Tuomas Gerdt will be held at the Tuomas Gerdt Park in Lauritsala, Lappeenranta, said Finnish Defence Forces in a press release. The event will start at 16:30.

Gerdt was the last surviving recipient of the Mannerheim Cross, who died in 2020. T

The monument was dedicated in the memory of the Mannerheim Cross Knight in Lauritsala, Lappeenranta, in 2021.

Including a poem authored and recited by Major Joni Pirinen to commemorate Tuomas Gerdt titled ”Viimeinen”, the programme for the event will also involve music performed by the Dragoon Band and the Cadet Choir, as well as a speech by Mayor of Lappeenranta Kimmo Jarva.

The arrangements of the monument unveiling ceremony will remain the responsibility of the Army Academy.

The area in the vicinity of the Tuomas Gerdt Park (Itsenäisyydenkatu–Kirkkotie–Eteläpuistokatu–Hallituskatu–Luukkaantori parking lot) will be closed for traffic on 27 April at 16–17.

No parking will be allowed along the streets at 8–18. Furthermore, the parking lot of the Lauritsala community house building as well as the area in front of the Lauritsala school building will be reserved for guest parking for the event’s duration.

The main National Veterans’ Day event in the city of Lappeenranta will be televised by the national broadcaster Yle.

The capital region will for its part mark the important day with an event co-organised by the metropolitan area cities of Helsinki, Espoo, Vantaa and Kauniainen, said the City of Helsinki in a press release.

Observance of the day in Helsinki traditionally includes a memorial service at the statue of Marshal Carl Gustaf Emil Mannerheim in the city centre and wreath-laying ceremonies at the Heroes’ Cross and Marshal Mannerheim’s grave at the Hietaniemi Cemetery.

This year, an invitation-only reception is also being arranged for Finland’s war veterans and their relatives at the Helsinki Opera House. Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen is one of the speakers at the event.

The Helsinki garrison will carry out a flag-raising and wreath-laying ceremony together with the City of Helsinki and the attending veterans at 10.00 at the square under the Mannerheim statue. This event is open to the public. Deputy Mayor Nasima Razmyar will represent the City of Helsinki at the ceremony.

The day, April 27, was chosen to honor the last day of the war in Finland, which was in 1945.

Finnish involvement in World War II is divided into three different parts — the Winter War (1939–40) and the Continuation War (1941–44) both against the Soviet Union, and the Lapland War (1944-45), against Germany.

According to statistics, around 600,000 men and 100,000 women fought in these wars. One out of eight died in battle and one out of four survivors were left with disabilities.

There were fears about the contribution of these veterans being forgotten in the decades immediately following the war. Veterans Day thus represents the efforts made by the Finnish people and their government to remember and appreciate the sacrifices made by veterans during this difficult period in history.