Merchant Navy Days 2022 have now come and gone and I was able to parade our Standard at Dover on Friday 2nd and Tower Hill on Sunday 4th September. Dover was straight to the memorial on the seafront as the Town Hall is under refurbishment and it was a short but worthwhile service attended in good weather by 3 MN Standards, 10 other service Standards, plus a fair number of ex and serving military representatives with local dignitaries and the general public well represented.
At Tower Hill it was notable for the much reduced number of participants, including our own PWSTS contingency, and our thoughts were with those unable to attend through whatever reasons. There were close to 50 Standards and a goodly number of dignitaries and service members in attendance with the Massed Royal Navy Volunteer Bands from Northwood Headquarters providing the music. Unfortunately, but perhaps not unsurprisingly, the warm weather, length of the service, the large number of wreathe layers etc caught up with a couple of guys in the main body as they went down in distress and I must admit I was not alone in suffering with having to stand for so long, particularly as at the end of the service all Standard Bearers were required to march out to the upper level to further stand and await presentation to a party of dignitaries after they had first inspected the band.
It was then time to join shipmates, colleagues, friends and associates in the time-honoured manner to remember absent friends, put the world to rights, retell tales and stories, some of which may well have been true, generally lament the passage of time for us all and part again with hopes that we may be able to repeat it all once more next year.
For all the PWSTS brotherhood that were unable to attend, we miss you, you remain in our thoughts and are not forgotten. For those that did attend, I thank you, it was good to share the occasion and even with the personal struggles, to which I know I'm not alone, it was good to parade the PWSTS Standard again to remind folk that the Red Ensign has meaning and well deserves to be honoured.
Thank you and all who were able to attend on our behalf. You all do us proud and I missed being there very much. But I was in spirit and duly raised a glass or two in remembrance with you all.
