US, British war dead honored at site where Revolution began

BOSTON (AP) - The British are coming again - this time in friendship.

A memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain is being dedicated this month, and the venue couldn't be more ironic: Boston's historic Old North Church, where the American Revolution pitting rebellious colonists against English troops basically began.

"It's the one place in Boston where you wouldn't expect this to happen," said Simon Boyd, a British-born real estate executive and Royal Air Force veteran leading the initiative.

On April 18, 1775, two lanterns were displayed from the steeple of the church - a prearranged signal from Paul Revere that the British were heading to Lexington and Concord by sea across the Charles River rather than by land. That event, immortalized in Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's epic poem, "Paul Revere's Ride," ignited the war of independence from Britain.

But Old North Church, Boston's oldest surviving house of worship and the city's most-visited historical site, since has become a symbol of Anglo-American affection.

Every year on the Sunday closest to Nov. 11 - the date World War I ended in 1918 - the church built in 1723 has held a special remembrance service for Britons living in or near Boston, complete with bagpipes and poppies. This year's commemoration will fall precisely on the 100th anniversary of the bloody Great War's end.

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo Old North Church stands behind a statue of Paul Revere in the North End neighborhood of Boston. A bronze wreath and plaque that forms part of a memorial, which includes thousands of dog tags honoring soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been installed on the grounds of the church. The new plaque and wreath help explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo Old North Church stands behind a statue of Paul Revere in the North End neighborhood of Boston. A bronze wreath and plaque that forms part of a memorial, which includes thousands of dog tags honoring soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been installed on the grounds of the church. The new plaque and wreath help explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

Since 2005, Old North Church also has hosted a touching tribute to American troops killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. In the courtyard of the church, jingling like wind chimes, hang nearly 7,000 blank military dog tags - one set of tags for every U.S. life lost.

The new memorial, a bronze wreath, will honor British and other Commonwealth forces who perished alongside U.S. forces in both campaigns. And a bronze plaque will explain the meaning of the dog tags to the hundreds of thousands of visitors who pause to pay homage each year while walking Boston's Freedom Trail - a 2.5-mile (4-kilometer) route that takes visitors past the church, Revere's house and other historic landmarks.

"We once were enemies, but we've long since gotten over that," said the Rev. Stephen Ayres, vicar of Old North Church. "We're now a go-to church for the British community in Boston. That's part of the improbability and wonder of Old North."

Bruce Brooksbank, the Iraq-Afghanistan memorial's volunteer caretaker, remembers how soldiers in the 1960s and '70s were disrespected when they returned home from Vietnam.

"This is my own little chance to make amends," he said.

Fittingly, two top soldiers from both countries will join forces on Nov. 17 to unveil the wreath and plaque, both paid for by The Soldiers Fund, a Boston-based nonprofit that supports U.S. and British soldiers, veterans and their families.

Retired Gen. Martin Dempsey, a former chairman of the joint chiefs of staff under President Barack Obama who now oversees USA Basketball, and retired Gen. Sir Mike Jackson, who held the highest post in the British Army from 2003-2006 and now is president of Britain's Army Benevolent Fund, will preside over the unveiling. Both will speak at a Soldiers Fund dinner in Boston that evening.

There's another tie that binds, said Boyd, who chairs the board of the Soldiers Fund: In 1917, Massachusetts sent one of the largest U.S. regiments to fight in WWI, naively dubbed "the war to end all wars."

"We're commemorating British and American lives lost, at a church where Paul Revere said with his lanterns that the British were coming," he said. "It's really all kind of come full circle."

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Follow Bill Kole on Twitter at https://twitter.com/billkole.

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo Tim Wenrich, of Boston, caretaker at Old North Church, stands near a bronze wreath, right, that is part of a memorial that honors fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain, on the grounds of the church in Boston. Since 2005, thousands of military dog tags have hung like wind chimes outside the church in touching tribute to American forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new plaque and wreath will explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo Tim Wenrich, of Boston, caretaker at Old North Church, stands near a bronze wreath, right, that is part of a memorial that honors fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain, on the grounds of the church in Boston. Since 2005, thousands of military dog tags have hung like wind chimes outside the church in touching tribute to American forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new plaque and wreath will explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo James Re, of Boston, hands only, positions a bronze wreath as it becomes part of a memorial on the grounds of Old North Church, in Boston, that honors fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain. The memorial is being dedicated this month at an ironic venue - the Boston church where America's war for independence from England basically began. On Nov. 17, British and American military brass will unveil the bronze wreath and plaque at the church, saluting troops from both countries who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo James Re, of Boston, hands only, positions a bronze wreath as it becomes part of a memorial on the grounds of Old North Church, in Boston, that honors fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain. The memorial is being dedicated this month at an ironic venue - the Boston church where America's war for independence from England basically began. On Nov. 17, British and American military brass will unveil the bronze wreath and plaque at the church, saluting troops from both countries who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo, a plaque marks the tomb of Revolutionary War British Marine Major John Pitcairn in the basement of Old North Church, in Boston. Pitcairn was buried at the church after he was mortally wounded during the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. A bronze wreath and plaque that forms part of a memorial, which includes thousands of dog tags honoring soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been installed on the grounds of the church. The new plaque and wreath help explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo, a plaque marks the tomb of Revolutionary War British Marine Major John Pitcairn in the basement of Old North Church, in Boston. Pitcairn was buried at the church after he was mortally wounded during the 1775 Battle of Bunker Hill. A bronze wreath and plaque that forms part of a memorial, which includes thousands of dog tags honoring soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan, has been installed on the grounds of the church. The new plaque and wreath help explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo Old North Church stands among buildings in the North End neighborhood of Boston. A memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain is being dedicated this month at an ironic venue - the Boston church where America's war for independence from England basically began. On Nov. 17, British and American military brass will unveil a bronze wreath and plaque at Old North Church, saluting troops from both countries who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo Old North Church stands among buildings in the North End neighborhood of Boston. A memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain is being dedicated this month at an ironic venue - the Boston church where America's war for independence from England basically began. On Nov. 17, British and American military brass will unveil a bronze wreath and plaque at Old North Church, saluting troops from both countries who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo, blank military dog tags hang in a memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, on the grounds of Old North Church, in Boston. Since 2005, thousands of military dog tags have hung like wind chimes outside the church in touching tribute to American forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new plaque and wreath will explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo, blank military dog tags hang in a memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, on the grounds of Old North Church, in Boston. Since 2005, thousands of military dog tags have hung like wind chimes outside the church in touching tribute to American forces killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. The new plaque and wreath will explain the meaning of the dog tags and acknowledge Britain's contribution and sacrifice. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo tops of coffins sit in an empty crypt in the basement of Old North Church, in Boston. A memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain is being dedicated this month at an ironic venue - the Boston church where America's war for independence from England basically began.
On Nov. 17, British and American military brass will unveil a bronze wreath and plaque at Old North Church, saluting troops from both countries who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

In this Wednesday, Nov. 7, 2018 photo tops of coffins sit in an empty crypt in the basement of Old North Church, in Boston. A memorial honoring fallen soldiers from the U.S. and Britain is being dedicated this month at an ironic venue - the Boston church where America's war for independence from England basically began. On Nov. 17, British and American military brass will unveil a bronze wreath and plaque at Old North Church, saluting troops from both countries who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

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