Press Release
For Immediate Release (Brixham brave Fishermen)
HMS Saucy 85th Anniversary – Brixham Commemoration Gathers Momentum
Thursday, 4th September 2025 – The Chart Room, Brixham and Man & Boy Memorial
The Chart Room First Class Coffee Lounge, in the heart of Brixham, will host a special community commemoration on Thursday 4th September 2025 to mark the 85th anniversary of the tragic loss of Royal Navy rescue tug HMS Saucy.
This poignant day of remembrance will honour the 26 men who perished when HMS Saucy struck a mine and sank in the River Tay on 4th September 1940. Of those lost, 18 were Brixham fishermen – young men who had left their nets behind to serve King and Country, but who tragically never returned home.
A Day of Tribute – Open to All
The Chart Room and its maritime exhibitions will be open to everyone from 10:00am with free guided tours throughout the morning.
At 12:30 – 14:00, guests may enjoy a specially themed Scottish Afternoon Tea (pre-booking required via www.brixhamsteampacket.co.uk). Please note: this is an optional experience, while the main commemorative events are freely open to all.
The central programme begins at 14:00, with an illustrated talk and Q&A by Alasdair Anderson, presenting new family-sourced information and stories of the ship and her men. This talk will explore the lasting impact the tragedy had on Brixham – a fishing town of just 8,000 at the time – and how so many descendants of those lost still live and work in the industry today.
Following the talk, Helen Lovell-Smith, Devon Fishermen’s Mission Area Officer – and herself related to Tom Lovell, one of the Saucy’s lost crew – will lead the dedication of a restored 1940s ceremonial life ring, newly inscribed with the names of all 26 crew. A vintage WW2 Royal Navy White Ensign will be flying in the harbour for one week and lowered to half mast on the Thursday, Families of the lost men have already begun signing the life ring, which will become a permanent memorial within The Chart Room and Brixham Heritage Museum and later available on loan for future events such as remembrance days via the British Legion.
At 15:00 – 15:30, the community will gather at the Man and Boy statue on Brixham Harbour, a memorial dedicated to the town’s fishermen. Here, the service will continue with hymns, a family photo shoot, and the moving addition of a Scottish piper – a symbolic nod to the Firth of Forth, where HMS Saucy was lost and where many of the crew are laid to rest.
Remembering Brixham’s Fishermen at War
Owner of The Chart Room and organiser of the event, Bob Higginson, explains:
“Although HMS Saucy was a Royal Navy tug, her crew were first and foremost Brixham fishermen. They were sailors in wartime service, but sons, fathers, brothers, and friends from our town. Brixham.
Also check out other Workshops in Dartmouth, Exhibitions in Dartmouth.
|
