Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois, recently attended a special dinner at the Institute of Directors in London to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the Battle of the Atlantic – the crucial sea battle which helped to keep open Britain’s supply lines during World War II.
The dinner was one of a number of events over the past year which have been organised to highlight this epic struggle during which sailors of both the Royal Navy and the Merchant Service fought a long running campaign against German U-boats to ensure vital supplies reached Britain’s shores safely and to help us feed our population and continue the War effort against Nazi Germany.
As part of the evening guests were treated to two superb speeches by Mr Tony Ditcham and Captain Eric Brown, who explained their experiences of fighting during the battle and more widely across World War II.
Commenting on the evening Mark Francois said:
“It was a privilege to attend this dinner and in particular to hear both Tony Ditcham and Captain Eric Brown sharing their wartime experiences with the audience. At times you could have heard a pin drop as these incredibly brave men recounted what they went through in order to keep the sea lanes open so many years ago. It is only because of immensely brave men like this that we are able to live in a free country today and it is quite right that we should commemorate their efforts and the sacrifices of their comrades, so that we can experience the freedoms that we currently enjoy.”