Comrade Godfrey Cremer – Message of Condolence from Gerry MacLochlainn
To Iris and Katt with comradeship and sympathy from a comrade and friend on the sad death of Comrade Godfrey Cremer
This has been a hard year with losses felt by many comrades and it seems like only a few months since we mourned the passing of Val. I know how hard it is to accept such loss but I also know what a comfort it can be to look at the life led by a fallen comrade.
Godfrey spent his life in the service of mankind, he struggled ceaselessly on behalf of downtrodden all over the globe.
He bravely spoke out for my country when many others succumbed to fear or chauvinism and stayed silent.
As we move into a new era of peaceful struggle, we know that we owe a debt of gratitude to the many people like Godfrey throughout the world but particularly in the belly of the beat, in England, who stood by our side.
I wish I had been able to attend the memorial meeting and the funeral of dear Godfrey but I want you to know that he was and is in my mind and my heart. We have lost a revolutionary but the revolution has gained many new cadres over the decades of work by Godfrey.
And if I die, up on that mountain
oh bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
and if I die, up on that mountain,
then you must bury me up there.
Bury me high up, up on that mountain
oh bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
bury me high up, up on that mountain
and let the flowers mark my grave.
So all the people who pass that way
oh bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
so all the people who pass that way
will say “Oh see that lovely flower!”
“That’s the flower of the Partigiano”
oh bella ciao, bella ciao ciao ciao
“That’s the flower of the Partigiano
who died for freedom’s sake!”
I know that when I look at a young person in Britain who stands up for justice and freedom across the world then I will be looking at one of the flowers planted in memory of the fallen Godfrey and nurtured by his example.
With comradeship and love,
Gerry MacLochlainn