Merchant Navy Day

[Keith at Tregenna]

Going back to what seems to be the first post: It is certainly encouraging to have replies to my posting of the "Forgotten Fourth Service". The very generous offer of £30 towards the cost of the Red Duster from the Marple Website is most welcome. Admin,quoting"to be flown at the council offices", I asume you mean the Town Hall. It would be ideal to fly the Red Duster from all the flag staffs in the Stockport MBC, but I know now that this is not possible, but perhaps we can purchase one to be flown from the staff in Marple Memorial park on Sept.3rd. It would be fitting if  persons in other districts of the borough could collectively donate towards a flag in their district. We could be the first area in the UK to do so, leading to every flag staff in the country flying the Red Duster on International Merchant Navy Day. Ron S.

At least the first that got my attention, plus admin has updated, would love to become involved and try to both assist with awareness, pos help with your local MN history, tributes and commemoration, but not to interfere.

Regard's Keith.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Thought I had seen 2013 early on but missed the latest post after registering.  Hopefully, catch up soon. Keith.

[Keith at Tregenna]

Hi all will introduce myself better again, only just noticed or realised now how old the thread is, spent much time raising Merchant Navy awareness and could help much if needed. Meanwhile going to learn much of Marple and will visit ASAP. My interest is initially MN and but love touring and visiting.

Regard's Keith.

[admin]

The Red Duster is flying in Marple Memorial Park once again to celebrate International Merchant Navy Day on Tuesday 3rd September. It will remain for the rest of the week in respect and memory of all the civilian seamen who gave their lives during the war and have no known grave but the sea.

The "Red Duster" flag was purchased by Friends of Marple Memorial Park in 2005 with a grant from Marple Area Committee and has been flown in the park each year since then. In partnership with the council we also replaced the old flag pole with one that was easier to use after the first ceremony.

To learn more read the old posts below (or above, depending on how you view the forum).

[admin]

In the year 2000 Her Majesty the Queen declared that the 3rd September each year will be celebrated as Merchant Navy Day and all public and other buildings with flag staffs are requested to fly the Merchant Navy flag (Red Duster) on that day.
 
The flag is now flying in Marple Memorial Park from the pole near to the War Memorial but there will be no service this year in the Park. Services will be held on Sunday 5th September at the Pier Head Liverpool and at the Merchant Navy Memorial at Tower Hill London.
 
If you have a flag staff and a Red Duster please fly it on the weekend 3rd to 6th September in respect and memory of all the civillian seamen who have no known grave but the sea.

I've merged previous posts with this one so that you can see what this is all about.

[admin]

As the Friends' of Marple Memorial Park's 'Red Duster' is flying in the Park again all over this weekend, to comemmorate the fact that it is International Merchant Navy Day on Sunday 3rd September, I thought it would be worth a new post in this topic to remind everyone why this is happening. The postings below will hopefully do that, especially the earlier ones by Ron explaining the horrendous losses that the Merchant Navy suffered during the Second World War.

[admin]

The flag raising ceremony in Memorial Park on 3rd September was a great success and we'll be including a report in the next Friends' Newsletter and on the web site in the future.

We learnt during the planning for the flag raising that the flag-pole near the memorial is an old-fashioned type with an external rope mechanism and the Council have to bring in a Cherry-picker to attach the rope each time the pole is to be used. With at least two regular dates for raising a flag now in the calendar, and the potential for more, we felt that this was a very time consuming and inefficient process. I'm therefore pleased to advise that the Friends of Memorial Park, in conjunction with the Council, has now completed the purchase and installation of a new flag pole with an internal rope mechanism.

This is in a better central location and will allow flags to be raised and lowered much more easily than before. The installation has also been completed in time for this year's Remembrace Day services and it will be used for the first time for this purpose.

The old flag pole should be removed in the near future.

[admin]

Latest news is that the Flag Raising Ceremony in Memorial Park will be attended by The Mayor of Stockport and the Mayor's Consort. The poster in the link below has been updated to include this information.

[admin]

Here's a poster created by Ron to announce the event. Please print it off and place a copy on your club's notice board, or anywhere else appropriate you can think of.

INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT NAVY DAY!

[admin]

The cheque for £50 towards the cost of the flag from Marple Area Committee arrived today '>

We've also received the following open letter from Ron Singleton, which explains that there will be a flag raising ceremony in Memorial Park on the morning of Saturday 3rd September:

GENERAL LETTER TO ALL INTERESTED PARTIES
Re:- INTERNATIONAL MERCHANT NAVY DAY
SEPTEMBER 3RD

It seemed at first that we were fighting a losing battle to get IMND recognised in Stockport, but at last we have been successful.

With the support of leaders of the political parties on the Stockport council, along with two of the local MPs, and the Stockport Ex- Services Association through their secretary Mr. Geoffrey Sharpe, who took up our cause in a true military aggressive stand, both at government and local level. Last but not least the support from the owners and administrators of the local Marple Website. www.marple-uk.com (click onto Forum and Events, The Forgotten Fourth Service).

The Marple Website responded immediately by donating the first £30 towards purchasing the Red Duster for the Town Hall Flagstaff, which was followed by £40 raised in a Marple pub, The Hatters Arms, and another £20 from a local undertaker, Malcolm Shaw & Sons.

The Marple Website also brought to the notice of The Friends of Marple Memorial Park the need for IMND to be recognised. They in turn suggested to the Marple Community Council that they collectively purchased a Red Duster to be flown from the Flagstaff in the Memorial Park.

We obtained the full co-operation of the Reverend Ken Kendrick of St. Peter's Church, Stockport, who agreed to conduct a service round the Flagstaff at the Stockport Town Hall, along with members of the Hawk Green Band.

After surveying the area outside the Town Hall, it proved to be unsuitable. Access is not available to the base of the Flagstaff and it would be totally unacceptable to hold a service on the pavement on the A6 for obvious reasons.

Having discussed this problem with the Reverend Kendrick and other persons involved, it has been agreed to transfer the proposed service from the Town Hall to Marple Memorial Park for the raising of the flag there. It is hoped to assemble in the Park at 9-30am, with the flag being raised at 10-00am. The flag purchased for the Town Hall will be raised there on the morning of the 3rd.

Regards:- Ron Singleton

[admin]

I'm delighted to advise that the red ensign purchased by Friends of Marple Memorial Park has arrived. The cost was £57.94 and we expect £50 of this to be refunded by Marple Area Committee in the near future (£25 from each Marple Ward).

Ron Singleton has also received the flag he ordered for the Town Hall. Ron has written to us advising that the Marple Website's donation of £30 instigated other donations from within the community and enough money was raised to pay for it without having to dip into his own pocket.

The flags will be flown for the first time in Marple Memorial Park and above the Town Hall on 3rd September to commemorate International Merchant Navy Day. This will be the culmination of a long battle by Ron, who has been campaigning for the Red Duster to be flown in Stockport since IMND was first declared in 2000 by the Queen.

[admin]

Peter Bardsley did well last night and not only did the Area Committee approve the flying of the Red Ensign in Memorial Park on 3rd September, to commemorate International Merchant Navy Day, they also agreed to contribute towards the cost of the flag, which will help to preserve the Friends' funds for other purposes in the park.

[admin]

More good news Ron.........

I explained the situation at the Friends of Marple Memorial Park this evening and asked if the Group would be prepared to pay for a Red Ensign flag that could be used in the park each 3rd September. It was unanimously agreed to do this and Peter Bardsley will be going to the Area Committee meeting on Wednesday to ask on behalf of the Friends if the Council have any objections, and also if they would be prepared to contribute to the cost.

The Park was originally donated to the Community of Marple in memory of the men killed in WW1 and the Group feel that it is fitting that the park should be used to honor the Merchant Navy men who lost their lives during WW2 in this way on International Merchant Navy Day. It would also be great to be the first local community to do this and set an example to others.

If you can, please go to the Area Committee meeting on Wednesday 6th July at 6.00 pm in Marple Library to support Peter when he asks the Committee for permission to fly the Red Duster in the park!

[Rachael]

Thank you for your information, I am astounded that I have never learnt any of this information at school, ever, and I really feel that I should have, its sad isnt it.

I am going to share your information with interest with my son, and as the saying goes, you learn something new every day.

[maronbf3]

In reply to Rachael and anyone else who is interested, here are a few facts and figures regarding the Merchant Navy.

            MERCHANT NAVY LOSSES. 1939-1945.

2536 British Registered Merchant were sunk by enemy action in World War Two.

30,248 British Merchant Seaman were killed. One of whom was my brother, Gordon John Singleton, 17 year old cabin boy on the SS"Marcella" torpedoed by U107 on the 13th.March 1943, their were no survivors from a crew of 45 including 8 DEMS gunners.

4,645 were considered missing.
4,707 were wounded
5,720 became Prisoners of War. (Some as young as fourteen)

They, as civillians, were illegally held and should have been repatriated, but the enemy knew that if they were released they would risk all the dangers again, and go back to sea.

It was a fact that when a Merchant ship was sunk by enemy action, those who survived, their pay stopped before the ship reached the bottom of the ocean. There was no income for them and their families until they joined another ship.

The British Merchant Navy was continuously engaged in the  war from the afternoon of the 3rd. September 1939 when the RMS Athenia was torpedoed by Fritz Julies Lemp, Captain of U30, with the loss of 112 passengers and crew, until the last British vessel SS Avondale Park was torpedoed at approximately 10-30 p.m. on the 7th. May 1945, of the Firth of Forth, by Emil Klusmeier Captain of U2336, just hours before the cease-fire.

An analysis of records at the UK Registry of Shipping and Seaman in Cardiff reveals that 32,076 merchant seaman (some 27 per cent) were recorded as having died through enemy action. The average seagoing population during the years 1939-45 appears to have been around 131,700.
This percentage of deaths was higher than all services (Army, Navy and Air Force) combined.
I think we should all feel proud to fly the Red Duster on the 3rd. September each year (the day the war started) to honour those men and women of the Merchant Navy who were killed through the War.

The National Memorial Arboretum at Alrewas, Staffordshire is well worth a visit. It is a living tribute to the wartime generations of the 20th. century. A large part of this is dedicated to the Merchant Navy. 2,536 oak trees have been planted there, one tree for every Merchant ship that was sunk. A very impressive sight. The Red Duster flies there permanently.

Ron Singleton  (Merchant Navy:- April 1944 to April 1956)