ARMED FORCES DAY - NEWPORT, 24 JUNE 2023
·On Saturday 24th June we attended the Newport Armed Forces Day event in support of our shipmates at MNA Newport.
We set up a display unit behind the Riverfront Theatre right next to the Royal Navy display. The photograph was taken prior to opening to the public and shows Alan Speight and Joe Newton of Newport with our table of “goodies” and information. Newport Standard Bearer was in attendance and took part in the parade through the streets of Newport. Once the “gates“ were opened we had a goodly number of visitors and by the end of the day our table was virtually bare. The focal point was the contents of the brown box at the front of the table which was a tribute to Raymond Steed with his picture and medals. This received a lot of attention from the public.
Raymond was the youngest Merchant Navy Casualty from Wales during World War Two being only 14 years of age. He died when his ship the S.S. Empire Morn was blown up after hitting a mine on the 26 April 1943 and is buried at the Ben M’Sik European Cemetery in Casablanca, Morocco. He was posthumously awarded the 1939 War Medal, The Atlantic Star, The Africa Star and the 1939-1945 Star. A Memorial to Raymond has been erected at Mariners Green, Usk Riverside Walkway, Newport.
