Honorary Gathering of Britons and Greeks for the Submarine Perseus this Summer on our Island!

Last summer, during the traditional annual visit of Royal Navy sailor and Falklands War veteran Andy Walters, a moving wreath-laying ceremony took place at the HMS Perseus Submarine Memorial in Poros, Kefalonia. A large number of British visitors and local authorities gathered to honour the memory of the 60 sailors who lost their lives when the British submarine HMS Perseus struck an Italian mine on 6 December 1941, off the coast of Mavratas. Their presence gave particular weight to this annual commemorative act, which has now become a tradition.

This year, the event is expected to take on even greater dimensions. The annual gathering will be held on Friday, 19 June 2026, at 11:00 a.m., in Poros, with full formality and with the support of the Municipality of Argostoli. Special contributions have been made by the Deputy Mayor of Eleios-Pronnoi and Tourism, Nikos Kourkoumelis, and the President of Poros, Odysseas Galiatsatos.

The upgrade of the event is largely due to the initiatives of a great friend of our island, Stuart Perry, a retired British police officer and former reserve officer of the Royal Navy. Stuart Perry, who has visited Poros and Skala a total of 37 times, had a meeting with President Odysseas Galiatsatos and myself. Following this, the Municipality of Argostoli agreed to organise additional commemorative events, including speeches in both Greek and English on the history of the Submarine Perseus.

Of particular interest is the invitation extended by the organisers, through the friends of the Submarine Perseus Facebook group, to British and Greek descendants of the submarine’s sailors, as well as to the descendants of the Kefalonian patriots who helped the sole survivor, John Capes. Capes, a stoker in the Royal Navy, managed to escape from the sunken submarine at a depth of approximately 52 metres and hid for about 18 months with the help of local residents before escaping to freedom!

Tens of descendants have already accepted the invitation and will attend the events on 19 June 2026!

This year’s gathering is expected to be one of the most moving and meaningful tributes to the memory of the fallen sailors, as well as to the bravery of the Kefalonians who risked their lives to protect a British fighter.

Spiros Kagadis