Nautilus members and officials from the UK and the Netherlands paid their respects to Merchant Navy seafarers killed in global conflicts at 2025 Remembrance ceremonies held in London and Wallasey.
Nautilus assistant general secretary (AGS) Sascha Meijer travelled from the Netherlands to lay a wreath for the first time in her AGS role during a ceremony at the UK Merchant Navy Memorial on Tower Hill in London on Remembrance Sunday.
Ms Meijer said: 'I was touched by both the sadness and the beauty and the importance of this ceremony for all those maritime professionals, many far too young, who unnecessarily lost their lives while serving onboard ship and ashore. These included seafarers, inland waterways workers, fishers and other maritime workers serving in workplaces like ports and lighthouses. Many of them were represented by Nautilus’s predecessor organisations, as we represent maritime professionals today.
'It was an honour to be a part of this beautiful event, which was both formal and intimate. I felt a strong connection and engagement between all who were present, men and women in roles within our UK maritime community.
'Also, I am always touched by the presence of poppies and remembrance events during this month all over the UK. This is extra impressive and touching to me, being Dutch, because the UK was one of the liberators of my country, ending WWII in the streets of The Netherlands. It was an honour to lay a wreath for the maritime people who contributed to that liberation. It is so important that we do not forget.'
In the Netherlands, wreaths are laid annually for seafarers on 4 May during a ceremony at a seafarer monument in Rotterdam, which Ms Meijer has also attended. That ceremony, which commemorates seafarers who died in the Second World War, is regularly attended by Nautilus officials and members of the NL National Committee.
At the Westminster Abbey service Nautilus head of professional and technical David Appleton was the Union official in attendance, along with chief engineer Rick Milnes, Council member Ross Cleland, and Captain Guy Pescodd.
At Nautilus Mariners' Park, residents and staff helped create a poppy display at the Care Home and will attend services in the park to mark Armistice Day.
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