Merchant Navy Day origins commemorated with planned Red Ensign flag-raising ceremonies

Merchant Navy Day Red Ensign flag-raising events planning is in full swing for commemorations being held across the UK.

Nautilus Mariners' Park residents and staff regularly hold a flag-raising ceremony and service on the UK estate in Wallasey run by the Nautilus Welfare Fund. This is held outside, weather permitting, beside the Atlantic Stone and the standing poppy display  which overlooks the banks of the River Mersey.

Nautilus officials also lay wreaths on behalf of the Merchant Navy at various ceremonies throughout the UK including Glasgow on 3 September and at the Merchant Navy Memorial, Tower Hill in London on Sunday 8 September.

Merchant Navy Day, held annually on 3 September, commemorates the first British merchant ship SS Athenia to be sunk by German torpedo in the Second World War with the loss of over 117 passengers and crew. It became an official day of remembrance in 2000 to honour merchant seafarers for their service and sacrifice.

Nautilus Council member Allan Dickson is taking part in the Edinburgh branch of the Merchant Navy Association's activities. They had the bright idea of donating £40 to The Seafarers' Charity in return for some window stickers which they will use as part of a letter writing campaign to encourage businesses, such as supermarkets and coffee shops in the area, to support the day.

The branch will also hold a short ceremony at the Scottish National Merchant Navy Memorial in Leith, attended by the Lord Provost of Edinburgh. This event will include a blessing by a local minister, a wreath-laying ceremony, and the annual message from his Royal Highness the Duke of Edinburgh will be read out.

Prince Edward's message is that 'Merchant Navy Day is the one moment we can acknowledge the invisible service. By flying the Red Ensign on this day, you will be recognising the approximately 80,000 men and women working at sea carrying around 95% of our island nation's trade.'

In Plymouth Nautilus members are also invited to a service to be held beside the Merchant Navy Monument on the Hoe at 11am on Tuesday 3 September attended by the Lord Mayor and Lady Mayoress.

Flags were the principal means of communication at sea for centuries, and Sunderland City Council will host its 10th celebration with a civic reception on Tuesday 3 September 2024, before moving outside to raise its Red Ensign. Nautilus members in the region wanting to attend should confirm no later than Monday 26 August 2024 by emailing mayor@sunderland.gov.uk or on telephone number 07766 367 426. The Council ceremony will emphasise both the role of Merchant Navy seafarers in global conflicts – particularly those fleets of men and women who braved perilous journeys across the Atlantic and Arctic during two world wars – and their vital ongoing role in keeping the economy buoyant.

The Seafarers' Charity's Raise the Red Ensign Campaign is an annual campaign and fundraising appeal to celebrate the UK's dependence on merchant seafarers which was started in 2015 to address 'sea blindness' – the lack of awareness of the maritime industry among the general population. A Nautilus Maritime Barometer Survey in 2022 confirmed this lack of knowledge: more than half of respondents were unable to identify the UK maritime flag. On a positive note, this report also shows that people are also becoming more educated and can be mobilised by issues affecting the sector, another reason to support Merchant Navy Day!