Ship article brought back sad and happy memories

DANNY Thompson ‘s article on HMS Coventry brought back happy and sad memories of the last two ships bearing our name.

The first one which the article was mostly about reminded me I had just joined early in 1979 the Civic Affairs Office at the council house at the time the freedom of the city was being planned, then later the ships company marched through the city, Lord Mayor Benfield taking the salute at the council house.

Later in the year I was shown around the ship in Portsmouth. In 1982 it was announced a ship had been sunk its name to be announced in Parliament that afternoon. However in the Civic Affairs/ Lord Mayor‘s Office we all guessed it was Coventry because the phones kept ringing to ask what the ship meant to Coventry.

There is a memorial to those who lost their lives in Holy Trinity church, Broadgate at which there was a short service on 25th May, the anniversary of the sinking. The same day coincidentally the Cathedral was celebrating its 60th anniversary, which was attended by the Duke of Kent and other VIPS including the captain of the latest ship to be granted the freedom of the city HMS Diamond.

The last ship called Coventry was a frigate built by Swan Hunter on the Tyne ( the previous one built by Cammel Laird on the Mersey), whose naming I attended the morning after it had been launched in the night because of an industrial dispute . After it had been sold to Romania after a short Royal Navy career the ships company marched through Broadgate with Lord Mayor Dave Chayter taking the salute. I was standing by the elephant on the pole and was pleasantly surprised when the Lord Mayor brought the captain over the road to meet the people.

B Greener, Coventry.

Back to normal

GREAT to see the huge crowds back at Glastonbury after years over pandemic.

P. Smith, Coventry.