Nautilus caseworker is driving force behind unveiling of Glasgow's first Merchant Navy memorial plaque

A long-overdue tribute to Merchant Navy seafarers has finally been unveiled in Glasgow, thanks to the dedication of Nautilus Welfare Fund caseworker Iain Lindsay. Deborah McPherson reports

His efforts have also been recognised with two awards, marking the culmination of a nine-month campaign to honour the thousands of seafarer lives lost at sea during the First and Second World Wars.

Mr Lindsay is the Nautilus Glasgow caseworker and also chairs the South and Central Scotland Port Welfare Committee, a branch of the Merchant Navy Welfare Board. He was alerted at a committee meeting last September to the absence of any memorial in Glasgow dedicated to Merchant Navy personnel. Despite the city's rich maritime history and the estimated 55,000–60,000 seafarers who perished in the wars, no tribute had ever been established.

He quickly assembled a small team to begin work on the project. Initial discussions with Glasgow City Council focused on placing a plaque on the Govan-Partick footbridge, a location steeped in shipbuilding heritage. An initial request for the bridge to be named in honour of the Merchant Navy was declined as it had already been named. Structural concerns also prevented installation directly on it, but a compromise was finally reached to place the plaque just to the left of the bridge on the Govan side.

'Govan played a vital role in wartime shipping, and many vessels departed from there never to return,' said Mr Lindsay.

The project faced a last-minute hurdle when the original plaque maker withdrew just eight days before the unveiling. Mr Lindsay managed to secure a temporary plaque from a new company just in time, allowing the event to proceed as planned.

The unveiling drew a large crowd and significant public interest. Mr Lindsay read from the poem by Eileen Mahoney In Waters Deep, moving many attendees to tears. A short excerpt from the poem is also inscribed on the plaque.

Mr Lindsay also gave interviews to local media, including the Glasgow Times and Clydesider Magazine. He was later honoured with awards from Edinburgh Council and El Wafa Media for his outstanding contribution.

'It was an amazing roller coaster of a journey to commemorate the lives lost in two wars and many other conflicts,' he said. 'Indeed, lives are still being lost at sea. So this plaque is dedicated to the men and women of the Merchant Navy past, present, and future.'

About the Nautilus Welfare Fund

The Nautilus Welfare Fund is Nautilus International's registered charity. It provides support services in the UK for retired seafarers and their dependants and is based at the Mariners' Park Estate in Wallasey, near Liverpool.

The Fund is not just for Union members: all UK retired seafarers who can demonstrate a significant maritime career are eligible to apply for accommodation and grants.

The Fund provides:

• retirement accommodation at Mariners' Park for people living independently or requiring residential or nursing care
• care at home
• one-off grants
• caseworkers – a free and confidential service that helps seafarers claim welfare benefits and access grants

More on the Nautilus Welfare Fund Email the Nautilus Welfare Fund

Nautilus Caseworker Service

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The Nautius Welfare Fund Caseworker service is here to help you. The charity supports retired mariners and their dependants, including former Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) personnel and Merchant Navy Veterans.

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