WAVY LACE – a legacy fit for heroes
What do Doctor Who and James Bond have in common with a prime minister and a family favourite?
Along with a daredevil diver who vanished on a secret mission and the air ace who bombed the Tirpitz – they were the citizen sailors of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve.
In time of war they stepped up to fight for the nation, and now the iconic “wavy lace” of those volunteer warriors is worn with renewed pride by the volunteers of the Sea Cadet Corps as a living legacy for the 50,000 RNVR sailors who gave their lives during two world wars.
By leaving a charitable gift in your Will you can keep the legacy of the Wavy Lace alive for future generations. In the seafaring tradition of Drake, Raleigh and Nelson, you can be our next naval hero.
Who were they?
o Patrick Troughton the second Dr Who 66-69 was an RNVR T/Lieutenant (1943) and served as 1st Lt of a Motor Gun Boat
o Ian Fleming Cdr RNVR created James Bond in his own image as fiction’s most famous RNVR officer.
o Prime Minister James “Jim” Callaghan joined the RNVR in 1942 as an Ordinary Seaman and was later promoted to T/A Sub Lt and then Lieutenant.
o Navy pilot David Clarabut T/A Sub/Lieutenant RNVR(A) dive bombed the German battleship Tirpitz in April 1944 scoring a direct hit which crippled the Nazi raider.
o Frogman Lionel “Buster” Crabb T/A Lieutenant Cdr RNVR disappeared whilst checking-out the Russian cruiser Ordzhonikidze in Portsmouth harbour and was reported missing, declared dead in1956
o Radio and TV “family favourite”, newsreader Richard Baker served as a T/Sub Lieutenant 1944/45 and was awarded the Royal Naval Reserve decoration.
o Among the famous actors to serve in the “wavy” navy, Sir Laurence Olivier (T/A Lieutenant) flew missions as an RNVR Fleet Air Arm pilot and Sir Alec Guinness, Sub /Lieutenant RNVR, commanded a landing craft during the Allied assault on Sicily
For more information about legacies or burial at sea, or for a copy of the legacy brochure contact us at:
Legacy Officer
The Marine Society & Sea Cadets
202 Lambeth Road
London
SE1 7JW
Tel: 020 7654 7000
email:
legacies@ms-sc.org