January 15th, 2004 by JCB
Posted in History | No Comments »
VETERANS HONOURED
At a ceremony hosted by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool in Liverpool Town Hall on 8th December 2003, Merchant Navy veterans and Liverpool pilots, who had served in the battle of the Atlantic were granted the Freedom of the City of Liverpool along with a framed Freedom Scroll. The honour was granted posthumously for those veterans now sadly deceased. The veterans included almost thirty surviving Liverpool Pilot and amongst those honoured was RF Youde who at 93 was the oldest recipient and the only surviving pilot who had served throughout the duration of the war. The Lord Mayor, Councillor Ronald Gould, made the presentation wearing a Liverpool Pilot’s Tie which had been presented to him at the Lord Mayor’s Reception prior to the UKMPA Conference.
Many have unsuccessfully tried to ascertain what it actually means to be a Freeman of a City, other than the invitation to the Mayoral Reception and the possibility of a medieval tradition of being able to have the right to drive a flock of sheep down Dale Street in the City Centre! The present serving pilots, who amongst their number are several with access to flocks of sheep, are investigating this possibility, believing that our retired colleagues shall have everything possible to honour their contribution to keeping open the lifeline afforded by the Western Approaches, be it as either serving pilots of the period or as ship-born cadets serving in the Merchant Navy prior to entering the Liverpool Pilot Service as Boathands.
For myself, as the then Chairman of the serving Liverpool Pilots, it was a privilege to be present as witness to my colleagues well deserved honour
John Curry
Liverpool
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