Merchant Navy celebrated in Peterborough with raising of Red Ensign flag

Royal Navy Day . Flying of the Red Ensign outside the Town Hall attended by Mayor of Peterborough Steve Lane and Mayoress Margaret Lane EMN-210309-115638009

Today is Merchant Navy Day, which is an opportunity to commemorate the vital role played by the Merchant Navy during the First and Second World Wars.

At today’s ceremony, Mayor of Peterborough, cllr Stephen Lane, gave a special reading, and prayers were read by the Mayors Chaplain.

Speaking before the service, cllr Lane said: “It is vital that people never forget the sacrifices made for them by previous generations and this ceremony will recognise the work, loyalty and dedication to duty of the men and women who serve in the British Merchant Navy.”

Merchant Navy Day is the annual celebration of the British Merchant Navy, with the memorial service held for seafarers who died at sea in the First and Second World Wars.

Such was the sacrifice of the Merchant Service during the First World War that King George V decreed in 1928 that they should be known as the ‘Merchant Navy’.

By the end of the Second World War more than 4,700 British ships had been sunk and more than 35,000 Merchant Seamen had lost their lives.

Peterborough City Council is supporting the event which is promoted nationally by Seafarers UK, a charity that helps people in the maritime community.