On the anniversary of the Allied landings in Normandy (D-Day, June 6, 1944), as he has done every year for the past 7 years, British tourist and member of the official group of former British officers and sailors who served on Type 21 Frigates (otherwise known as the Amazon class), "Type 21 Club," Andy Walters laid a wreath at the Monument in Sarakiniko, Poros, Kefalonia, in honor of the crew of the Submarine Perseus, which sank after striking an Italian mine off the southern coast of Kefalonia on December 6, 1941.
This time, the traditional wreath-laying ceremony at the Monument of the Submarine Perseus in Poros, Kefalonia, took on greater, more emotional, and splendid dimensions, I would say, following the promotion of the ceremony on Facebook by the British tourist and former officer Stuart Perry and the British permanent resident of our Poros, Dianne Seddon!
In this moving event of our British allies, many other Britons also participated. Among them were the retired British officers Nick Nicholson, who holds honorary titles from Queen Elizabeth II (MBE - Member of the British Empire and BEM - British Empire Medal), and Chris Gaylor, whose medals we admired!
In his moving speech, Andy Walters thanked everyone who attended to honor the sailors of the submarine Perseus. As he mentioned, among the 59 sailors of the submarine Perseus was the Cephalonian 1st Lieutenant Nikolaos Merlin of the Greek submarine Glavkos, as well as the sole British survivor, John Capes, for whom he expressed his gratitude to the Cephalonian people who protected him from enemy occupation for 2 years until his escape.
Then, everyone exclaimed together, "We will remember them," followed by a two-minute silence observed by those present, as well as the laying of a wreath at the monument by Andy Walters!
This time, the event was also honored by local dignitaries of our area: the Deputy Mayor of Eleios Pronnoi and Tourism, Nikos Kourkoumelis, the President of Poros Kefalonia, Odysseas Galiatsatos, the President of the Cultural Association of Poros Kefalonia "O Pronisios," Aspasia Seriatou, as well as the President of the Commercial and Professional Association "E.E.T.B.A. Atros," Eleftherios Stellatos!
Finally, I must inform you that this event exceeded all expectations in terms of participation, splendor, and emotion, and there is a promise that next year's will be even bigger!
Spiros Kagadis
Please watch my video with the entire event here:
https://youtu.be/yJOjKBEnZvc?feature=shared
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