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LETTER: Remembering the forgotten

A salute to all Vernon seamen who went lost at sea
27003342_web1_211111-VMS-LETTER-Witzke-boat_1

I was peering inside the attic of an old Vernon house. Throughout raw sawdust was its insulation. This material provides a wise comfort efficient bargain in keeping the heat in and providing warmth to its occupants. It was cheap, easy to obtain, clean, light to handle.

My rhythmic manoeuvre disturbed a protuberance.

Buried within it was a printed, tinged, yellowed, faded, brittle, tattered verse by an unknown author.

I was roused by it.

It is a fitting tribute this Remembrance Day to the 50,000 Allied merchant seamen who lost their lives during the Second World War; a salute to all Vernon seamen who went lost at sea:

On all the oceans,

Whitecaps flow;

You do not see crosses,

Row on row;

But those who sleep

Beneath the sea,

Rest in peace,

For your country is free.

Thank you to the Merchant Navy.

Ed R.R. Witzke

Vernon