important NEWS - Tribute to Merchant Navy war dead

[Jack]

Full story on the front page folks - click on the HMVF logo to get there.

[john wheatley (R.I.P.)]

And not a moment too soon. Long overdue.

[AlienFTM]

With all due respect ...

 

The statement includes:

 

Mr Hunter, who served in the merchant navy as a radio officer during the war, said: "I felt very angry that all those men, many of whom I saw perish, were just forgotten."

 

There is a garden of remembrance on Tower Hill where AFAIK every single merchant seaman and every single merchant ship lost is listed. I have a picture somewhere of my Uncle Charlie's name under SS Hull, sunk in 1943.

[Snapper]

Absolutely correct - the national Merchant Navy memorial at Tower Hill lists ships companies for WW1 and WW2 and a new Falklands memorial was added in 2007.

[Tony B]

I can remember an old sea mine used as a collecting box for the Mission to Seaman. This had a plaque on the side dedictaed to all those of the Merchant Navy lost in both world wars. Though this was at West Park Jersey.

[Snapper]

They used to be quite common. I can remember seeing one in Jersey on my only visit in 1970 - we stayed in St Helier. They used to be on pretty well all sea fronts raising money. Still a nice idea...but we've moved on or "progressed" since then.

[Tony B]

'Progresed' maybe but I sometimes think the plot has been lost, along with the sextant, compass and charts. (Grumpy old man update) I knew an old guy Heniz Rossinger, I used to work process seving and old Heinz was one of the other agents. He was a wild old bloke and an old freind of my boss, who quietly told many wild tales about Heinz. I knew he had been in the Merchant Navy as a cook, his speciality was wopping great cakes soaked in Kirsch, you daren't drive after a slice. His son Tony was also a Merchant Navy officer. It was only at Heinz's funeral I learnt he was Jewish, he had escaped from Austria in 1938 and was the sole survivor of his family. He spent the early part of the War in the MN as was torpedoed, then joined the Army ending up in the I Corps, and was the first Jewish Officer into Belsen.

[Snapper]

God bless him. Good call, TB:tup::

[Tony B]

I don't know if God would want him!! :-D He'd cause chaos! One of his best ones was his idea to get a new car. Heinz had an old Rover worth about tuppence on a good day. One day in he walks 'My car has been stolen!'. general yeah right, scrap ain't that valuable. Insistence that the car had been stolen, so off goes Heinz and phones his insurance company, fills out all the forms. About a fortnight later insurance paid out and Heinz has a nice new car.

 

About six weeks later phone call from the insurance the old car has been found by the Police, now belongs to company, does Heinz want to buy back? No chance, he has new car so old car goes for scrap. At this point he turned to me and said 'Took the Police long enough, I only parked it two streets away from the Station'. :-D

Mad old sod, life is duller without him.

If this sounds ireverent Heniz's answer was Sod the world take life by the B*** and make it squeal.

Edited September 26, 2008 by Tony B