Merchant Navy heroes remembered

The important role played by the Merchant Navy during the First and Second World Wars was recognised in Peterborough on Monday with the Red Ensign, the Merchant Navy's official flag, being raised near the War Memorial in Bridge Street at 10am.
Red Ensign day service and flag raising outside the Town Hall. EMN-180309-131304009Red Ensign day service and flag raising outside the Town Hall. EMN-180309-131304009
Red Ensign day service and flag raising outside the Town Hall. EMN-180309-131304009

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.

Mayor of Peterborough Cllr Chris Ash, one of the dignitaries at the service, said: “It is vital that people don’t forget the sacrifices made for them by previous generations.”

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