VETERANS families and councillors turned out to see the Red Ensign flag fly high in Newport to mark Merchant Navy Day yesterday.

The service saw the 60-strong congregation stand in the shade of the civic centre to remember those who served on the seas in both world wars and conflicts since.

Newport City Council was one of hundreds of local authorities to answer to an appeal from the Seafarers UK charity and the Merchant Navy Association to raise awareness of the merchant navy’s ongoing importance.

The ceremony was led by Father Kevin Paine, with merchant navy personnel acting as standard bearers while younger sea cadets stood firm throughout.

In his welcoming speech, Father Paine said: “We come here today, whether as old comrades, families, friends, members of the armed forces of representatives of this city, to honour and to remember with gratitude all those of the merchant and fishing fleets who gave their lives in times of war in the service of this island nation.

“We honour them now for the unspoken courage that was the vessel for their very human hopes an fears, for the comradeship they shared one with another, for the decency and common humanity they displayed, for the unconditional and unassuming good they would do and for the ultimate sacrifice they each made.”

Lt Col Andrew Tuggey, the Vice Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, read a speech on behalf of The Earl of Wessex in which he urged people “to remember the sacrifices, salute the courage and support the future of the often unsung personnel of our merchant navy”.

The mayor of Newport, Cllr David Fouweather also gave a short reading of a Bible verse, while the remainder of the service was punctuated by the sounding of the Last Post, a minute’s silence and later closed with The Lord’s Prayer.

Today the nation continues to rely on the merchant navy for 95 per cent of its imports, which includes half of the food the population eats.

But its service in wartime remains a crucial and often forgotten part of its history, with the Second World War proving to be a testing time for the seafaring organisation.

“The merchant navy were absolutely crucial during the war, especially in the Battle of the Atlantic,” said Alan Speight, chairman of the Newport Merchant Navy Association.

“Around 30 per cent of our number were lost in the war, so the impact it had was devastating.

“For me the merchant navy should come as naturally in discussion as the British Army, Royal Marines or the Royal Navy.”

Retired seafarer Rod McDonald, whose father Bob served throughout the war, said the impact was also felt in Newport due to its status as a key port and source for recruits.

A similar ceremony was also held by Cwmbran Community Council outside the offices in Ventnor Road.