| Thanks everybody for your replies.
They never did get the recognition they deserved and there are many reasons for that - some of which have been mentioned.
MN Day was officially recognised in 2000 in the UK and is now held annually on September 3rd, the anniversary of the sinking of the ss ATHENIA on the first day of the war. But why did it take 55 years after WWII to get this recognition?
The MN was not invited to march at the Cenotaph for Remembrance Sunday until 1997.
The Merchant Navy's name was in the law courts of our land in 2005 when an attempt was made to get Merchant Navy ships which were sunk with loss of life classified as War Graves. Shouldn't they be recognised as War Graves just like warships are? Why did the Government fight this?
The loss of a seaman's pay when his/her ship was lost was a disgrace.
There is so much more that we could write a book about it.
Thanks again
Regards
Hugh
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