Post by Administrator on Jan 30, 2020 0:46:15 GMT
2020 marks the 25th Anniversary of the formation of The Merchant Navy Association (Wales). The Association was formed in Cardiff in the Spring of 1995 by Bill Henke and friends. The first meeting was held on the 7th June 1995 at County Hall, Cardiff. The second meeting was held on the 5th July 1995, again at County Hall, Cardiff when the following committee members were appointed: Chairman Oliver Lindsay (Membership Number 4), Vice Chairman Ken Homes (3), Secretary Bill Henke (1), Treasurer Tony Roach (23), Membership Secretary Ron Powell (2) and members Bert Ivins (75), Peter O’Brian (97), Pat Sullivan (8), Bill Rees (105), Ray Newbury (6) and Bill Walker (7). 65 members attended the meeting. By September 1995 the number of members had risen to 128. Initially applications came from seafarers in the Cardiff area and local valley towns, but soon applications for membership were being received from seafarers all over Wales such as Aberystwyth, Milford Haven, Haverfordwest, Llanelli, Swansea, Pwllheli and Holyhead as well as Kinsale in Ireland, Ontario Canada, Finland and England.
Membership reached its peak in 1997 when there were 325 members "on the Books’. Sadly age and health issues have taken their toll and after a steady decline over the years, current membership is now only 49, which includes 17 from our Barry Branch which was formed in 1996/7 by the Late Jim Greenway. In January 1996 after lengthy discussions, the venue for meetings was moved to the R.A.F.A. Club, Ely. We stayed at Ely until January 2013. There was talk of the R.A.F.A club closing so it was decided to move to the Canton Liberal Club, which is our current meeting place. Bill Henke was appointed President of the Association in April 1996 and Oliver Lindsay remained Chairman until he stood down in May 1999. Oliver was appointment President on the death of Bill Henke in 2000.
Harry Parry, who had been Vice Chairman since 1997, was appointed Chairman when Oliver stood down. A position he held until he stood down in May 2017. Tony Meade who was Harry’s Vice Chairman, was appointed Chairman. In 2005 the Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas P.C. A.M., the then Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, was invited to be our Patron which he graciously accepted.
One of the first tasks of the Association was to get a Merchant Navy Memorial erected in Cardiff Bay. So Bill Henke and the members started lobbying the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, amongst others. A location was approved and an award winning design agreed. The location is on the waterfront in front of what is now the Senedd Building. The Memorial was unveiled and dedicated at a service held on the 24th May 1997. It was agreed that this would be an annual event hence the reason for our May service. At the time of installation the Senedd building didn’t exist. So when construction started in March 2001 there were concerns that the Memorial may have to be moved, but lobbying from members determined that the Memorial would stay in it’s location and would never be moved.
The Memorial was protected from damage throughout the construction of the Senedd. In 2003 a plaque was attached to an adjacent bollard identifying the Memorial and in 2015 a QR Plaque was attached to the top of the bollard by Historypoints.org which enables the public to view the list of casualties of both Wars on their phones etc..
In September 2001 the Association was awarded the Freedom of the City and County of Cardiff resulting in a march through Cardiff and the unveiling of a plaque in City Hall by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Russell Goodway, and our Chairman Harry Parry. In April 2005 the Association was awarded the Freedom of the Vale of Glamorgan County Borough thanks to the efforts of the late Jim Greenway, Chairman of our Barry Branch and his committee.
Members were also interested in maintaining the Merchant Navy heritage in Cardiff and suggested various memorials be considered. One was a plaque to commemorate the Seaman’s Pool at the Exchange Building. This was approved in 1996/7 but unfortunately due to the current state of the building it is not possible to determine if the plaque is still there. In 1999 we arranged to have an oak tree planted, and a plaque installed at the base, in The Gorsedd Gardens opposite the National Library in Cardiff to commemorate Seafarers who were lost during WW1 and WW2. The tree and the plaque are still there and the inscription on the plaque reads” Merchant Navy Association (Wales) In Memory of All Seafarers who gave their all”. A seat with a plaque was also provided in the Merchant Navy section when the National Arboretum in Staffordshire was opened in 2001.
Membership reached its peak in 1997 when there were 325 members "on the Books’. Sadly age and health issues have taken their toll and after a steady decline over the years, current membership is now only 49, which includes 17 from our Barry Branch which was formed in 1996/7 by the Late Jim Greenway. In January 1996 after lengthy discussions, the venue for meetings was moved to the R.A.F.A. Club, Ely. We stayed at Ely until January 2013. There was talk of the R.A.F.A club closing so it was decided to move to the Canton Liberal Club, which is our current meeting place. Bill Henke was appointed President of the Association in April 1996 and Oliver Lindsay remained Chairman until he stood down in May 1999. Oliver was appointment President on the death of Bill Henke in 2000.
Harry Parry, who had been Vice Chairman since 1997, was appointed Chairman when Oliver stood down. A position he held until he stood down in May 2017. Tony Meade who was Harry’s Vice Chairman, was appointed Chairman. In 2005 the Lord Dafydd Elis-Thomas P.C. A.M., the then Presiding Officer of the National Assembly for Wales, was invited to be our Patron which he graciously accepted.
One of the first tasks of the Association was to get a Merchant Navy Memorial erected in Cardiff Bay. So Bill Henke and the members started lobbying the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation, amongst others. A location was approved and an award winning design agreed. The location is on the waterfront in front of what is now the Senedd Building. The Memorial was unveiled and dedicated at a service held on the 24th May 1997. It was agreed that this would be an annual event hence the reason for our May service. At the time of installation the Senedd building didn’t exist. So when construction started in March 2001 there were concerns that the Memorial may have to be moved, but lobbying from members determined that the Memorial would stay in it’s location and would never be moved.
The Memorial was protected from damage throughout the construction of the Senedd. In 2003 a plaque was attached to an adjacent bollard identifying the Memorial and in 2015 a QR Plaque was attached to the top of the bollard by Historypoints.org which enables the public to view the list of casualties of both Wars on their phones etc..
In September 2001 the Association was awarded the Freedom of the City and County of Cardiff resulting in a march through Cardiff and the unveiling of a plaque in City Hall by the Lord Mayor, Cllr Russell Goodway, and our Chairman Harry Parry. In April 2005 the Association was awarded the Freedom of the Vale of Glamorgan County Borough thanks to the efforts of the late Jim Greenway, Chairman of our Barry Branch and his committee.
Members were also interested in maintaining the Merchant Navy heritage in Cardiff and suggested various memorials be considered. One was a plaque to commemorate the Seaman’s Pool at the Exchange Building. This was approved in 1996/7 but unfortunately due to the current state of the building it is not possible to determine if the plaque is still there. In 1999 we arranged to have an oak tree planted, and a plaque installed at the base, in The Gorsedd Gardens opposite the National Library in Cardiff to commemorate Seafarers who were lost during WW1 and WW2. The tree and the plaque are still there and the inscription on the plaque reads” Merchant Navy Association (Wales) In Memory of All Seafarers who gave their all”. A seat with a plaque was also provided in the Merchant Navy section when the National Arboretum in Staffordshire was opened in 2001.