Port Talbot RNLI commemorates Merchant Navy Day
On a blustery September (7) day honoured guests and crew came together to pay their respects and to pray for the men and women of the Merchant Navy who lost their lives in battle.
A memorial service led by Phil Denyer, RNLI Chaplin took place outside Port Talbot Lifeboat station next to the Roll of Honour.
The station's President Graham Morley opened the service by talking about the rich maritime history of Port Talbot and the surrounding area and the part that the Merchant Navy played in the world's shipping trade and becoming the front line in battle.
Phil Denyer said “30,248 merchant seamen lost their lives during World War Two, a death rate higher proportionately than any of the armed forces. Included in this total are 27 seamen from Neath Port Talbot with one of them being a fifteen year old boy who lost his life when the Francis Massey was torpedoed in the Atlantic on June 6 1940, today we remember those who did not come home”.
The laying of the wreaths served as a poignant reminder of the lives lost and remembered. The first wreath was laid by the Deputy Lord Lieutenant of West Glamorgan and then by members of the Welsh Parliament, Neath Port Talbot Council, The Royal British Legion and South Wales Police.
As the Last Post was played under the fluttering red ensign flag the crowd fell silent for a moment for prayer and reflection.
On closing the service prayers were given to those providing protection and safety for today's seafarers in need, to our crews and our colleagues at HM Coastguard, Trinity House, Maritime Trade Unions, The Royal Navy and also Maritime Charities such as the Mission to Seafarers, Queen Victoria Seamen’s Rest and Stella Maris.
Notes to editor:
The RNLI is a registered charity that saves lives at sea. It provides, on call, a 24-hour lifeboat search and rescue service to 100 miles out from the coast of the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland and a beach lifeguard service on over 200 beaches in England and Wales. If you would like more information on fundraising ideas to help raise much needed funds for the RNLI please visit our website for more details or pop into your local station to discuss any fundraising ideas that you may have.
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For more information please contact Port Talbot RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer, Kirstee David on [email protected] or Claire Fitzpatrick-Smith, Regional Communications Manager on [email protected] or 07977 728 315.
Alternatively, you can contact the RNLI Press Office on [email protected] or 01202 336789.
Key facts about the RNLI
The RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,700 lives.
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