COMMUNITIES came together across Hampshire to salute the role played by the Merchant Navy in keeping the UK’s economy afloat in war and peacetime.

One of the biggest events took place in Southampton, where members of the Solent branch of the Merchant Navy Association held a memorial service for sailors who lost their lives at sea.

Southampton’s mayor, Cllr Cathie McEwing, was among more than 200 people who attended the moving one-hour service at Holy Rood Church on Sunday yesterday. Elsewhere, communities flew the Red Ensign, – also known as the Red Duster – which has been the official flag of the Merchant Navy since 1854.

One of the flag-raising events took place at the former magistrates’ court in Romsey where the mayor, Cllr John Parker, was joined by the Rev Canon Tim Sledge.

The ceremony was staged on Saturday to mark Merchant Navy Day, which is always held on the anniversary of the start of the Second World War.

During the six-year conflict hundreds of merchant vessels were sunk and thousands of sailors killed as they battled to supply the British Isles with food and other essentials.

The decision to fly the Red Ensign from public buildings followed by a plea from Admiral the Lord West of Spithead.

He said: “Thousands of British seafarers still work on the oceans of the world, underpinning the vast majority of the international commerce that keeps our economy buoyant.

“But the majority of today’s ports are high security operations, often miles from population centres. Many young people know little of ships and seafarers and fail to appreciate their absolutely vital contribution to our way of life.

“I strongly believe that a visual demonstration of the debt we owe to merchant seafarers past and present should become an annual feature of our national; calendar.”

Nick Harvey, of the charity Seafarers UK, added: “In recent years our island nation’s dependence on the Merchant Navy has actually increased.

“More than 90 per cent of our imports are carried by ship, including half the food we eat. Without regular fuel imports are our power stations would soon shut down.

“And with more sea ports than any other European country we depend on the Merchant Navy to ship more than 75 per cent of our exports.”