Nettlebed Parish Council will be showing their support for the seafarers by proudly flying the Red Ensign outside the Village Club on Tuesday, September 3rd.
While many people know that the 3rd of Sept 1939 marked
the outbreak of the Second World War, few are aware that it also marks the
first major British maritime casualty, the merchant vessel SS Athenia,
torpedoed just a few hours after hostilities were declared, with the loss of 128
passengers and crew. Although many hundreds of merchant ships and thousands of
seafarers would meet the same fate in the years to come, 3rd September is now
enshrined as 'Merchant Navy Day' to honour the brave men and women who kept our
island nation afloat during both World Wars, and even during peacetime faced -
and continue to face - the more routine perils of violent storms and
mountainous seas.
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