NC: Wartime on the Outer Banks

 

 

On a soggy spring morning last year on Ocracoke Island, the clouds gave way to sunrays just as the plaintive tunes of bagpipes beckoned islanders and visitors to a small cemetery. Tucked back on a quiet spot on British Cemetery Road is the plot where four British sailors were laid to rest in 1942. They lost their lives patrolling and defending shipping lanes off the Carolina coast during World War II.

Each year, islanders and visitors gather to remember their sacrifice, and 2017 marked the 75th memorial service. The day before, islanders, special guests and dignitaries had gathered on neighboring Hatteras Island at the Buxton British Cemetery for a memorial observance for two British sailors who washed ashore there during World War II.

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