The Red Ensign has been flying in Liskeard today to mark Merchant Navy Day thanks to a former merchant seaman and resident of the town.
Les Payne obtained the flag for the Town Council along with two others – one to raise himself at home, and the other for St Martin’s Church.
Mr Payne said that the Merchant Navy was sometimes ’forgotten’ but that he had been glad to attend a ceremony on The Hoe in Plymouth this morning at a new memorial to merchant seamen lost in the last world war.
Between the ages of 16 and 22 Mr Payne worked as a marine engineer on board Esso tankers, and his work took him all over the world to locations including the Persian Gulf and the Straits of Hormuz, Scandinavia, Europe, Venezuela and Beirut.
He changed careers to be able to spend more time with his young family but remains a member of the Merchant Navy Association.