On Wednesday, September 3, the port town of Dover will hold its annual service to honour the brave men and women of the Merchant Navy. The service and wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the Merchant Navy War Memorial on Marine Parade at 11am.
Organized by the Chairman of Dover District Council, Cllr Susan Beer, and the council’s communities team, the event commemorates the vital role that merchant seafarers play in our communities and remembers those who lost their lives in times of conflict. Merchant Navy Day is an annual national event held on September 3, a day chosen to commemorate the sinking of the SS Athenia in 1939, which was the first British merchant ship lost during World War II.
For more information on the history of Merchant Navy Day and its significance, you can visit The Seafarers’ Charity website.