A Western Isles coastguard volunteer has been selected to represent the HM Coastguard and Maritime Agency at the Remembrance Sunday parade in London.
Mitchell Thompson will march to the Cenotaph at this weekend’s national service which commemorates servicemen and women who lost their lives in the two World Wars and later conflicts.
The 19-
Mr Thompson said he was surprised to be chosen as one of 11 coastguards across the UK to take part in the parade.
He is “proud” to represent the coastguard service at the event.
Mr Thompson highlighted: “I think it is important to remember the war dead.”
“If we do not learn from the past then we cannot prepare for the future.”
HM Coastguard itself suffered considerable losses in the early months of the First World War.
A large number of coastguards were called upon by the Royal Navy as reservists and posted to ships due to their expertise in signalling.
Many died in the early months of the war prompting the Admiralty to return the majority of coastguard personnel back to their stations.
For the remainder of the war, shore based Coastguards continued with their duties as well as manning war signal stations, mine disposal, keeping a watch for spies or saboteurs who may have tried to land.
They also provided early warning of raids by German warships and assisted the police and army in rounding up suspects and escaped prisoners of war.
Islander to represent coastguards at Cenotaph
10 November 2016