MN Church day

[Lou Barron]

Yesterday Sunday 8th we the Dunedin MN association held our annual commemoration service at the Iona church Port Chalmers it was a lovely hot day but it was very much down in numbers i had the privilege of laying the wreath .
The RSA choir gave their usual performance .
As we marched into the church with the Red Ensign it gave me a great sense of pride.
They sailed the seas to bear the brunt
They steamed the the courses laid,
Ten thousand miles their battle front .
Unbacked and undismayed.
Fine seamen these of our great race,
From your seaport or your town .
They risked their lives with danger faced
Until their ship went down
Remember them -they held the line ,
Won freedom on the way ,
Remember them -their life was thine-
On Merchant Day
If blood was the price -
We had for freedom
Then the Merchant Ship sailors
Payed it in full

[Keith at Tregenna]

My mate Capt Joe will be chuffed:

They Bore the Brunt

They sailed the seas to bear the brunt,
They steamed the courses laid,
Ten thousand miles their battle front,
Unbacked and undismayed.
Fine seamen these of our great race,
From your seaport or town,
They risked their lives with danger faced Until their ship went down.
Remember them - they held the line,
Won freedom on the way,
Remember them - their life was thine - On merchant navy day.

J.Earl

HE WROTE THE ORIGINAL.

K.

Have always attributed:

“If Blood was the price
We had to pay for our freedom
Then the Merchant Ship Sailors
Paid it in full”

To:

Norman Date / Hon Secretary/ Merchant Navy Association Bristol UK.

[j.sabourn]

Keith this Earl you talk about did he write a book on seamanship, and was he an old time lecturer at South Shields Marine and Technical College of years gone by. John S

[Keith at Tregenna]

Keith this Earl you talk about did he write a book on seamanship, and was he an old time lecturer at South Shields Marine and Technical College of years gone by. John S

He is a man of many talents but best known as an MN POET:

http://joesverse.simplesite.com/160596387

[happy daze john in oz]

Lou is that the church that sits up a bit high just up from the corner as you cross the main street?

[Dennis McGuckin]

“If Blood was the price
We had to pay for our freedom
Then the Merchant Ship Sailors
Paid it in full”

Always thought that Churchill said that?

[Keith at Tregenna]

“If Blood was the price
We had to pay for our freedom
Then the Merchant Ship Sailors
Paid it in full”

Always thought that Churchill said that?

He may well have Dennis, just the first I knew of it, it seemed to be attributed to Norman Date.

Actually found part of the answer, I guess Norman had used it at the end of his piece and added directly under,
From: Norman Date / Hon Secretary/ Merchant Navy Association Bristol UK

Hence my error and memory. this was from 2003.

BBC - WW2 People's War - Through Fire and Ice - Austin Byrne MN

Love your quote of it from 2014:

http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opi...tml?print=true

Regards Keith.



.

[Lou Barron]

Yes John that is the church up the hill a wee bit at present it is under a lot of renovations it is a lovely wee church

[Dennis McGuckin]

He may well have Dennis, just the first I knew of it, it seemed to be attributed to Norman Date.

Actually found part of the answer, I guess Norman had used it at the end of his piece and added directly under,
From: Norman Date / Hon Secretary/ Merchant Navy Association Bristol UK

Hence my error and memory. this was from 2003.

BBC - WW2 People's War - Through Fire and Ice - Austin Byrne MN

Love your quote of it from 2014:

http://www.comoxvalleyrecord.com/opi...tml?print=true

Regards Keith.



.

Thanks Keith.

[happy daze john in oz]

Yes John that is the church up the hill a wee bit at present it is under a lot of renovations it is a lovely wee church

Been in here a couple of times and found it to be of gret interest. There is so much history around the Port Chalmers region.