Victory Day Celebrations HMS Belfast
Posted: Sat May 11, 2019 9:17 pm
Let me start by thanking Tim our saviour from boredom who created amongst other prized centres of information..... our Forum .
As a few of you already know it was my privilege and honour to attend this event and in my own way describe the events that took place on this remarkable evening .
For those of you who don't know Tim very well... he is a very self a-facing modest Gentleman of the old school and values which we all know and were spoon fed on as we grew up , but daily being eroded by the time of "progress " as the tide of PC culture spreads its net over our daily values and diluted as the tide ebbs and recedes .
For those of you who know me , my apologies , and may I ask for your forbearance as I stumble through this area of activity to which I am unaccustomed , for whilst I am not backward in coming forward , I am overshadowed by such as the company of Ex servicemen of the calibre present at this ceremony , from many differing walks of life and countries of origin , called to arms at different ages to defend their respective countries at War in differing time zones and periods of History .
Once HRH Prince Michael of Kent was piped aboard and he inspected the Guard of Honour formed by the Sea Cadets on the quarter Deck he was ushered down to the assembled guests in the Ships Company Mess Hall
The theme chosen by Tim on this event was that of "In it Together " which his opening speech laid a crumb trial for the gathered speakers to pursue and recollect their personal memories which acted as the anchor for these recollections to draw against and was well found.
Tim's Welcoming address was as follows :-
Your Royal highness , dear friends ........
It is a great pleasure to Welcome you all here this evening to celebrate this 74th anniversary of the Victory that liberated Europe.
"In It Together"
This is the theme of our event this evening.
I want to tell you about the connecting power of history , your history.... and my own history
Some of you are old enough to remember my late father .
When he knew that his life was coming to an end he asked me to take over his activities with the veterans , " Look after the old boys and don't let their memory be forgotten " disregarding the fact that he was an old boy himself.
He used to say to me that you can either believe in fate or your life will be full of unexplained coincidences
So , the connecting power of HISTORY .........
In January 1940 my father was a very junior officer in the Royal Navy, and his ship was sent to Halifax , Canada to bring back one of the first Convoys .
I would like to welcome our representatives of the Royal Canadian Navy and even some from the great Naval Base of Halifax
Within a few months Norway suffered the indignity of invasion. and my fathers ship was sent to the defence of Norway where they stayed throughout this sad campaign....WE Have with us tonight a delegation from Norway representing veterans and war sailors from that country including TRYGVE Hanson of the legendary destroyer STORD.
Not long after the Norwegian invasion it was Russia's turn .
By this time my father had transferred to a different ship assigned to the Kola run-in which he made 12 Russian convoys.......So now I hold out my hand to our splendid Russian guests , many old friends from previous victory day celebrations .
During this time of course he served in a Royal Naval ship manned by royal naval officers and men, amongst these was veteran Tony Ditcham serving in the equally legendary destroyer SCORPION.
Tony was a young lieutenant and a gunnery officer, Terry Lewin was also a young lieutenant and a gunnery officer
By the beginning of 1944 Lewin's ship was assigned to the first multinational task force to close the Western approach to the channel in the build up for D-Day....again serving with Canadians and the ships of the free Polish Navy .
During all this sailing and fighting he managed to find time to meet and marry my mother.
My Mother was born and spent the first half of her youth in the Caribbean so it is with equal pleasure that I welcome our Jamaican friends especially Neil Flanigan RAF who joins us again and I am happy to tell you that our Jamaican Allies have thoughtfully brought with them an ample supply of their national product with which they are so indelibly associated .
Fast forward almost 4 decades and Britain found itself in a war the other side of the world.
Among the splendid ships that sailed south never to return was the beautiful HMS COVENTRY .
A ship launched by my Mother , commissioned by my Father , I am proud to introduce to you tonight five members who survived the loss in
action of this ship
So there you have it through my father , through history I am connected to all of you here , AND if I am connected with you..... you are
connected with each other .....
FATE ? Coincidence? or just the connecting power of History ? you decide .....
Now it is a Genuine pleasure to welcome back among us his Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent and ask him to join with me in welcoming you all here tonight .
This was the starting point at which various chosen guests gave us their recollection's following " HRH Prince Michael of Kents " response [in Russian I might add
To be continued :-
As a few of you already know it was my privilege and honour to attend this event and in my own way describe the events that took place on this remarkable evening .
For those of you who don't know Tim very well... he is a very self a-facing modest Gentleman of the old school and values which we all know and were spoon fed on as we grew up , but daily being eroded by the time of "progress " as the tide of PC culture spreads its net over our daily values and diluted as the tide ebbs and recedes .
For those of you who know me , my apologies , and may I ask for your forbearance as I stumble through this area of activity to which I am unaccustomed , for whilst I am not backward in coming forward , I am overshadowed by such as the company of Ex servicemen of the calibre present at this ceremony , from many differing walks of life and countries of origin , called to arms at different ages to defend their respective countries at War in differing time zones and periods of History .
Once HRH Prince Michael of Kent was piped aboard and he inspected the Guard of Honour formed by the Sea Cadets on the quarter Deck he was ushered down to the assembled guests in the Ships Company Mess Hall
The theme chosen by Tim on this event was that of "In it Together " which his opening speech laid a crumb trial for the gathered speakers to pursue and recollect their personal memories which acted as the anchor for these recollections to draw against and was well found.
Tim's Welcoming address was as follows :-
Your Royal highness , dear friends ........
It is a great pleasure to Welcome you all here this evening to celebrate this 74th anniversary of the Victory that liberated Europe.
"In It Together"
This is the theme of our event this evening.
I want to tell you about the connecting power of history , your history.... and my own history
Some of you are old enough to remember my late father .
When he knew that his life was coming to an end he asked me to take over his activities with the veterans , " Look after the old boys and don't let their memory be forgotten " disregarding the fact that he was an old boy himself.
He used to say to me that you can either believe in fate or your life will be full of unexplained coincidences
So , the connecting power of HISTORY .........
In January 1940 my father was a very junior officer in the Royal Navy, and his ship was sent to Halifax , Canada to bring back one of the first Convoys .
I would like to welcome our representatives of the Royal Canadian Navy and even some from the great Naval Base of Halifax
Within a few months Norway suffered the indignity of invasion. and my fathers ship was sent to the defence of Norway where they stayed throughout this sad campaign....WE Have with us tonight a delegation from Norway representing veterans and war sailors from that country including TRYGVE Hanson of the legendary destroyer STORD.
Not long after the Norwegian invasion it was Russia's turn .
By this time my father had transferred to a different ship assigned to the Kola run-in which he made 12 Russian convoys.......So now I hold out my hand to our splendid Russian guests , many old friends from previous victory day celebrations .
During this time of course he served in a Royal Naval ship manned by royal naval officers and men, amongst these was veteran Tony Ditcham serving in the equally legendary destroyer SCORPION.
Tony was a young lieutenant and a gunnery officer, Terry Lewin was also a young lieutenant and a gunnery officer
By the beginning of 1944 Lewin's ship was assigned to the first multinational task force to close the Western approach to the channel in the build up for D-Day....again serving with Canadians and the ships of the free Polish Navy .
During all this sailing and fighting he managed to find time to meet and marry my mother.
My Mother was born and spent the first half of her youth in the Caribbean so it is with equal pleasure that I welcome our Jamaican friends especially Neil Flanigan RAF who joins us again and I am happy to tell you that our Jamaican Allies have thoughtfully brought with them an ample supply of their national product with which they are so indelibly associated .
Fast forward almost 4 decades and Britain found itself in a war the other side of the world.
Among the splendid ships that sailed south never to return was the beautiful HMS COVENTRY .
A ship launched by my Mother , commissioned by my Father , I am proud to introduce to you tonight five members who survived the loss in
action of this ship
So there you have it through my father , through history I am connected to all of you here , AND if I am connected with you..... you are
connected with each other .....
FATE ? Coincidence? or just the connecting power of History ? you decide .....
Now it is a Genuine pleasure to welcome back among us his Royal Highness Prince Michael of Kent and ask him to join with me in welcoming you all here tonight .
This was the starting point at which various chosen guests gave us their recollection's following " HRH Prince Michael of Kents " response [in Russian I might add
To be continued :-