Merchant Navy Day Commemorative Service

On 3rd September each year, MERCHANT NAVY DAY commemorates the start of the Second World War, declared at 1115 that day in 1939, and 8hrs 25mins later, the first loss of British, Canadian and American lives. This, amongst the passengers and crew of the liner SS Athenia, torpedoed and sunk off Ireland. 18 of those crew members are named on The Merchant Navy Memorial in Trinity Square Gardens on London’s Tower Hill EC3. Like that of its predecessor, the Mercantile Marine, in the First World War, the rôle of the Merchant Navy was to keep Britain fed, fuelled and fighting. In tribute, their Red Ensign is the only civilian organisation’s flag displayed on the  Cenotaph.

That tribute will extend from village greens to official buildings on 3rd September when Red Ensigns are flown throughout the UK, including, in London, on No. 10 Downing Street, Tower Bridge and the Guildhall.  Merchant Navy Day will be marked officially too in Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

This year, the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War, the MERCHANT NAVY DAY COMMEMORATIVE SERVICE takes place on Sunday 7th September at The Merchant Navy Memorial. Messages of support from HM The King and the Prime Minister will be read together with an account of Prime Minister Winston Churchill, aboard the battleship HMS Prince of Wales, meeting an Atlantic convoy in 1941.

All are welcome at the service.

Standards will be paraded at 12.30 and the service begins at 1pm, concluding at 1.45pm. It is organised by the Merchant Navy Association.

THE MERCHANT NAVY MEMORIAL bears 36,068 names, more than any other Commonwealth War Graves Commission memorial in the UK. They are those of men and women aged from 13 to 74 and of more than 100 nationalities who died in Britain’s merchant service as result of enemy action in either of the World Wars or Falklands Campaign. Civilians all, their grave is the sea. Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka are amongst those nations which have  countrymen named but the Merchant Navy’s worldwide rôle means that most South Asian merchant seamen who have no grave are honoured on Commission memorials in Mumbai and Chattogram. Where they ‘signed on’ for what became their final voyage was a factor in the location of their commemoration.

The First World War section of The Merchant Navy Memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens with sculptural detail by Sir William Reid-Dick. Unveiled by HM Queen Mary in 1928, it is Grade I-listed. The Second World War section is by Sir Edward Maufe, its sculptor being Sir Charles Wheeler. In 1955, it was unveiled by HM The Late Queen and is Grade II*-listed. Gordon Newton designed the Falklands Campaign section, unveiled by the First Sea Lord, Admiral Sir Alan West, now Admiral Lord West, in 2005.

TRAVEL & ACCESS

All of Trinity Square Gardens and much of The Merchant Navy Memorial are accessible by wheelchair. Access to the Second World War section is by seven shallow steps.

Underground: Tower Hill station (Circle & District) is immediately adjacent to Trinity Square Gardens and has step-free access

Bus: 15 Trafalgar Sq/Charing Cross station – Tower Hill – Blackwall stn.

42 East Dulwich Sainsbury’s – Tower Gateway stn – Primrose St/Liverpool St station.

78 St Mary’s Rd, Nunhead – Tower Gateway stn – Shoreditch High St station/Curtain Rd

100 King Edward St/St Paul’s station – Tower Gateway stn – St George’s Town Hall/Shadwell stn.

DLR: Tower Gateway station is 5 minutes’ walk away, east of Trinity Square Gardens. All DLR stations have step-free access.

National Rail: Fenchurch Street and Liverpool Street stations are to the north of Trinity Square Gardens, 3 and 17 mins’ walk away respectively.

London River Services: Tower Pier is 4 minutes’ walk away, south of Trinity Square Gardens.

Cycle: Cycleway C3 from Lancaster Gate – Trinity Square Gardens – Barking.