Wales joins UK’s largest firefighting aid convoy

MID and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service (MAWWFRS) has taken part in the UK’s largest ever convoy delivering vital firefighting equipment to Ukraine, joining 17 other Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) from across the country.

The convoy, coordinated by FIRE AID and supported by the UK Government, left the UK in early April. It travelled through France, Germany and Poland, delivering over 30 fire service vehicles and more than 15,000 items of equipment to support Ukrainian firefighters on the front line of the ongoing war.

Since the Russian invasion in 2022, UK fire services have donated 119 vehicles and over 200,000 pieces of equipment to Ukraine. Each participating service ensured local needs were met before donating surplus kit.

Watch Manager Rob Kershaw represented MAWWFRS on the convoy. He said:
“It’s been a privilege to be part of this convoy and to represent both FIRE AID and Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service.
We received invaluable support and assistance from fire and police services across every country we passed through. Their help in coordinating, escorting, and hosting the convoy was outstanding.”

Chief Fire Officer Roger Thomas KFSM added:
“MAWWFRS is proud to support our colleagues in Ukraine by donating and delivering essential equipment.
The events in Ukraine have deeply affected the fire and rescue community, and this convoy is a demonstration of our ongoing commitment to helping those still working under extreme conditions.”

The donated equipment will support firefighters in Ukraine who continue to operate in war zones to save lives and protect property—often at great personal risk. Since the conflict began, 100 Ukrainian firefighters have been killed and 431 injured. A total of 411 fire stations and 1,700 firefighting vehicles have been destroyed.

TREFIN and surrounding communities will mark the 80th anniversary of VE Day with a full day of commemorative events on Thursday, May 8—culminating in the lighting of a coastal beacon.

The local programme closely mirrors events happening across the UK to honour Victory in Europe Day, marking the end of World War II in Europe on May 8, 1945.

The day will begin at 9:00am in the centre of Trefin with the reading of the VE Day 80 Proclamation, Together We Stand, followed by the raising of a special VE Day 80 flag to unite the nation in remembrance of those who sacrificed so much during the war.

At 12 noon, in Trefin Square, piper LCpl Spencer of Cawdor Barracks will perform Celebratum, a tune specially composed for the occasion.

At 6:30pm, Llanrhian Church bell will ring out in unison with churches and cathedrals across the UK. Simultaneously in Trefin Square, the “Lamp Light of Peace” will be blessed, and a handbell performance by local adults and children will take place. Participants are encouraged to wear wartime-style clothing, with prizes awarded for the best costumes.

Evening celebrations will then move to The Ship Inn, where a fish and chip supper will be served (advance booking and payment required). A display of wartime memorabilia will also be available to view.

At around 8:00pm, the community will proceed from The Ship Inn to Penlac field, overlooking the coast, for the continuation of the festivities. Attendees will be invited to sample the official Women’s Institute VE Day 80 Orange and Ginger Cake. Warm clothing is recommended.

There will be music from the wartime era, and local choir Côr y Felin will lead a singalong of well-known songs from the period. Representatives from each decade since the end of the war will read the VE Day 80 Global Tribute, joining communities across the world. A minute’s silence will be held in memory of those who did not return home, followed by a bugler performing the Last Post and Reveille. The piper will then play Flowers of the Forest.

Just before the lighting of the beacon at 9:30pm, the community will join nearly 1,000 choirs across the UK in singing I Vow to Thee, My Country. The coastal beacon is part of the official chain being lit across the country and worldwide (in respective time zones). The “Lamplight of Peace” will also be lit in solidarity with lanterns around the globe.

Those wishing to continue the celebrations can return to The Ship Inn afterwards.

Organisers are encouraging all attendees to dress in wartime-themed attire throughout the day, with a prize for the best-dressed individual.

The events are being coordinated by the Gwelliant Trefin Improvement Group (GTI) and Llanrhian Connected Community. All are welcome.

LANDING CRAFT DISASTER CLAIMED 79 LIVES AS PORT REFUSED ENTRY IN STORM

A SOLEMN memorial service was held at Milford Haven Cemetery on Wednesday (April 23) to remember the victims of one of the Royal Navy’s most tragic and little-known disasters—an incident in April 1943 which claimed the lives of at least 79 men, many of whom are buried in the town.

Officiated by Reverend Father Andrew Johnson of St Katharine and St Peter’s Church, the annual service drew a respectful gathering of veterans, civic leaders, cadets, and members of the public, all committed to ensuring the men lost that night are never forgotten.

The Mayor of Milford Haven, Councillor William Elliott, laid a wreath at the memorial alongside cadets Leading Cadet Sophie Jarrett of the Milford Haven Sea Cadets & Royal Marines Cadets, and Patrol Leader Joshua Evans of the 2nd Milford Haven Sea Scouts.

The forgotten disaster of April 1943

On the night of April 25–26, 1943, two Royal Navy vessels—Landing Craft Gun (Large) 15 and 16, known as LCG(L) 15 and LCG(L) 16—found themselves in peril off the Pembrokeshire coast during a fierce Atlantic gale.

Originally built as tank landing craft by Harland & Wolff in Belfast, they had recently been refitted with heavy guns for the Allied invasion of Sicily. Flat-bottomed and top-heavy, they were not designed for rough seas, and their decks quickly flooded as waves battered them in the night.

Seeking shelter, both vessels requested permission to enter Fishguard harbour—but were inexplicably refused. They then attempted to make safe haven in Milford Haven. Once again, entry was denied.

By the time the vessels reached the waters off Freshwater West, both were in critical danger. LCG 15 was the first to go down, around 11:00pm. LCG 16 remained afloat slightly longer, but was lost soon after midnight. Men were thrown into the freezing, raging sea. Survivors were few.

Witnesses at the Angle Aerodrome and from the nearby Angle lifeboat station watched helplessly. Tragically, the lifeboat could not be launched—it was undergoing repairs.

HMS Rosemary’s doomed rescue attempt

The old sloop HMS Rosemary was returning from convoy escort duties when she encountered the unfolding tragedy. The crew attempted to rescue those on LCG 16, firing lines in a desperate effort to reach the sinking vessel. When those failed, six sailors volunteered to take out the small whaler boat to make the perilous crossing by hand.

The whaler capsized in the storm. All six men drowned.

In total, at least 79 Royal Navy and Royal Marine personnel perished in the disaster. A Board of Enquiry was convened, but no public explanation was ever given as to why safe harbour was denied. No one was held accountable.

A tragedy long kept quiet

The scale of the loss was not made public until weeks later, when the issue was raised in Parliament. The First Lord of the Admiralty at the time confirmed that a Board of Enquiry was examining the incident, but a full report was never released. Wartime censorship meant families received limited information, and the public remained unaware of the tragedy for decades.

Some of the fallen were laid to rest in their hometowns. Others were buried in Milford Haven Cemetery. Many are still listed as “missing, presumed killed” and commemorated on the naval memorials at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham.

Among the local burials are:

• Marine Leslie V. Brackley (CH/X 2851)
• Lieutenant Douglas A. Burgass (RNVR)
• Marine Peter Campbell (CH/X 2848)
• Marine Frederick W.C. Derrick (PO/X 114089)
• Ordinary Telegraphist James McArdle (C/JX 358916)
• Able Seaman Geoffrey Lambert (P/JX 143261)
• Marine Percy W.J. Howard (CH/X 111751)
• Marine James Sigley (PLY/X 109057)
• Marine Charles W. Gordon (CH/X 109418)

A full list of casualties and their burial or commemoration locations has been compiled by naval historians and volunteers, with the assistance of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Local remembrance and national silence

Wednesday’s service was organised by Milford Haven Town Council. Among those in attendance were Sir Francis Newing, County Councillor Terry Davies, Carys and Siân from Milford Haven Town Band, and representatives from Tom Newing & Sons Ltd Funeral Directors. The Yellow Rose Florist Gift Shop provided a floral wreath.

Speaking at the service, Councillor William Elliott said: “It is a source of pride and sorrow that Milford Haven bears the memory of these lost men. We gather not only to remember them but to remind the world of a tragedy that should never have happened.”

Father Andrew Johnson offered prayers and a reflection on lives lost at sea, calling on all present to “carry the memory of the brave with dignity and purpose.”

Commemoration continues

Freshwater West is now home to a memorial above the beach, not far from where the ships went down. The cemetery in Milford Haven also bears a permanent tribute. However, historians and relatives continue to call for greater recognition.

The Herald understands that efforts are underway to campaign for a formal apology from the Ministry of Defence for the denial of harbour access and lack of accountability. A special event is also being considered to mark the 85th anniversary of the disaster in 2028.

Photo caption:
We will remember them: A wreath is laid at the Milford Haven Cemetery during Wednesday’s memorial service (Pic: MHTC)