The Watch Ashore
Bringing Together Families at Home
The National Committee
Chair: Margaret Gray (Glasgow)
Vice Chair: Chris Rankin MBE (Plymouth)
Secretary: Ina Bruce (Glasgow)
Treasurer: Sandra Walker (Plymouth)
Executive member: Judy Slator (Humber)
Future Events
Merchant Day Commemorative Service at Trinity Square Gardens, Tower Hill London 5 September 2010 at 1200 hours.
Mission to Seafarers service at St Michael Paternoster on the 23rd September 2010 at 3pm
Annual National Service for Seafarers 13th October 2010 at St Pauls. Contact Stuart Bell events@missiontoseafarers
AGM 15-16 April 2011 at Holiday Inn York & the Triennial will take place 9/10/11 May 2012 at Holiday Inn Plymouth.
Help End Piracy
Please support the national campaign being backed by 16 international industry organisations to end Piracy. www.endpiracypetition.org Help get the number of signatures to half a million signatures to be taken to government by the International Maritime Organisation's World Maritime Day on 23 September.
Welcome to the Watch Ashore
The organisation was formed in 1933 for the specific purpose of allowing its members, wives/partners, mothers, sisters, girlfriends of Merchant Navy Officers, to get to know each other and to provide support and friendship, while working to the same end of lobbying the public for reforms to the Merchant Navy.
In 1933 the Watch Ashore lobbied for reforms and today, in 2007 the reforms we are lobbying for are remarkably similar - better conditions for the Merchant Navy, better safety, better training.
Full membership is open to the wives, widows, mothers, sisters and daughters of all Merchant Navy officers and anyone with an interest in matters to do with the Merchant Navy. Country membership is open to all in the United Kingdom even if they are not near a branch.
16 Branches have been formed since 1933 but sadly with the demise of the British Merchant Navy we only have 8 branches left; Plymouth, Cardiff, Southampton, Glasgow, Sunderland, London, Edinburgh and Hull.
Branches meet monthly in their areas and there are annual AGM's and also Triennial meetings, which are chaired by the National Chairman.
The Executive Commitee
Organisation of the branches of The Watch Ashore is spear headed by the National Executive Committee, which is made up of Chairman, Vice Chairman, Hon. Treasurer, Hon General Secretary an Executive member. We endeavour to ensure that as many of the local branches as possible are represented on the Executive Committee, our present Executive has two members from Plymouth, two from Glasgow and one from Cardiff.
Our present Chairman is Margaret Gray from Glasgow who was preceded by Sue Vickery ( Plymouth); Pat Warren(Cardiff); Liz Swan (Derby); Doreen Morris (Sunderland); Fiona Cooke (Glasgow) June Barnes (London)
Legacy
The Watch Ashore was fortunate to be the beneficiary of a legacy some (25) years ago a portion of which is distributed annually, by the Executive Committee, to the Branches for them to use to benefit Merchant Navy charities, members of the Merchant Navy and their dependants. Branches have used this legacy as “Talent Money” to launch various events to “make the money grow”.
Annual and Triennial Meetings
The Executive Committee organises our Annual Meetings which are held in a different part of the country each year. Every Third year, in conjunction with a local Branch, the Executive Committee arranges our Triennial Meetings. For more information and to view the gallery of past events please visit our Triennial meetings page.
Over the past ten years we have met in Hull 2009, Glasgow 2006, Cardiff 2003, Plymouth 2000 and Hull 1997. It is at these Triennial meetings that our National Chairman comes into office (i.e. the Chairman steps down and is succeeded by the Vice Chairman.) Entertainment at Triennial meetings is very diverse and is usually hosted by the local Branch who provide entertainment with a local flavour.
Find Your Local Branch
Charity Campaign
On her retirement from office the National Chairman nominates a charity, which branches will support for the following three years, many branches choose to make their legacy money grow for the Chairman’s Charity
Pat Warren who was National Chairman between 2006 – 2009 handed over a cheque to The Jubilee Sailing Trust for £1562 this amount was raised by local branches in support of her campaign. Read the Trust's response.
Our Campaign for the next 3 years has been chosen by retiring Chairman Mrs Sue Vickery and will be The Mission to Seafarers National and Falmouth branch.
Newsletters and Reports
Report from Sunderland AGM 2008
Branch Report from Liverpool AGM 2007
Special Notices
Special notices relating to our members can be found on our Special Notices page.
With Thanks
This site has been built with the kind support of MNWB
Also as part of the Triennials we have been fortunate to enjoy Civic Receptions given by The Lord Provost in Glasgow and the Lord Mayors of Hull and Plymouth at recent meetings. Our next Triennial will be held in Hull in 2009 and preparations for this weekend are already in hand.
In the “non- triennial” years we hold an annual meeting in various towns and cities throughout England, Scotland and Wales. In recent years we have enjoyed weekends in Bournemouth, Gloucester, Edinburgh, Manchester, Liverpool, Leicester, Worcester and Sunderland.
On these occasions the National Executive organise an informal first night when we enjoy our own entertainment. In Liverpool we indulged in a musical evening with a special tribute to the Beetles from our Glasgow ladies. Our trip to Gloucester coincided with St George’s Day and Shakespeare’s Birthday so each Branch presented a Watch Ashore version of the works of The Bard. A visit to a local place of interest is always part of the weekend and we have enjoyed a barge trip (Worcester); Compton Acres Gardens (Bournemouth); The Hat Museum in Stockport (Manchester); Hartlepool Maritime Museum amongst any others.
The Executive Committee coordinates all members nationally. Some of our members do not live within reach of a local branch and so are given the title “Country Member”. Country members exist all over Britain and meet up with all the other branches at annual meetings and sometimes join in branch events when invited.
Gallery
35th Annual Luncheon 1969
Princess Anne 35th Annual Luncheon 1969
Princes Anne & Lady Headley 1969
Mansion House Visit
To view more images for the Watch Ashore visit our History page or visit our branch pages.