Whalers and sailors clash over memorial

IT is not the sort of thing you would expect to make waves.

But a storm is brewing over the unveiling of Edinburgh's new Merchant Navy memorial amid claims the city's whalers have been snubbed.

The Salvesen Ex-Whalers Club has demanded an apology from the Merchant Navy Memorial Trust after its members were not invited to join the 170 seamen who met The Princess Royal at the official unveiling at the Shore last week.

Chairman George Cummings said the perceived snub was galling as the memorial itself includes a depiction of a whaling ship.

The club was instead forced to have its own reception in the nearby King's Wark pub, before going to pay respects after the Princess Royal had departed.

Mr Cummings said: "Many of the crew members who served on whaling vessels during both world wars lost their lives in the service of our country. These men were part of the merchant service and, like all merchant seamen, were members of the National Union of Seamen.

"The men who served on whaling vessels endured some of the most extreme conditions in both the Arctic and Antarctic seas. A great number of these individuals were professional seafarers and feel that they were not invited to attend this ceremony was disgraceful.

"This very fine memorial column actually depicts a whaling ship, so why were these seafarers excluded from this occasion?

"An apology from the persons who organised this ceremony would not go amiss as they clearly did not assess all the aspects that make up the Merchant Navy." At its height, Salvesen Whalers had 45 whale hunting ships and two factory ships. Based in the British South Atlantic territory of South Georgia, Salvesen ceased whaling in 1964 and sold its lucrative International Whaling Committee licences to the Japanese.

Merchant Navy Memorial Trust chairman William Thomson said the primary focus of the unveiling was to honour the donors who had contributed towards its 100,000 price tag, and they could find no record of a donation from The Salvesen Ex-Whalers Club.

He added: "Naturally we are sorry if individuals are disappointed at not being formally asked to the event but space did dictate a restriction on the numbers.

"In no way does this detract from the role played by and sacrifices made by merchant seamen from every sector."