An annual ceremony, paying tribute to those who have perished on the ocean, took place in the East End recently
The Guild of the Holy Compassion, founded in 1918, recently held its Annual Wreath Laying Ceremony off the waters of St George’s.
The Guild tends to the graves of mariners who have died in the seas around Bermuda over the past century.
The Guild’s Dr Derek Tully and Henry Hayward were joined by current and retired marine pilots along with shipping company representatives, as they travelled out on the pilot boat St. David.
At Murray’s Anchorage, alongside the Bermuda Islander, Anglicvan Bishop Nicholas Dill presided over a ceremony in which he blessed the wreaths before they were laid on the ocean – the first being laid by Pilot Warden Mario Thompson.
Special mention was made of the St. George’s men who died on the Pilot Boat Ocean Queen in January 1927.
Dr Tully, secretary of the Guild, said, “this was a devastating loss to the St. George’s community.”
“The Pilot gig Ocean Queen was caught in a violent storm off the East End as they were preparing to escort a ship into Bermuda.”
“The men were never seen again, although the Pilot gig was found a day later floating off South Shore near Elbow Beach.”
As the ceremony drew to a conclusion, the Bermuda Islander sounded three long blasts on the ship’s horn … a poignant, audible acknowledgement of those who perish at sea.
