Despite rather damp weather the day proved most interesting for His Royal Highness who was welcomed by the Lord Lieutenant of Kent and our President, Admiral Lord West. Music for the day was provided by army musicians from Brompton Barracks, kindly arranged by Brigadier Matthew Bazeley. Prince Michael has an ongoing interest in historic ships and in Dunkirk and was introduced to the MQPS Trustees, the workshop and "Saturday Team" volunteers and numerous other guests. After a short video presentation by Pam Bathurst he toured the ship - as you can see from the pictures showing a real interest in what he was seeing. The day ended with a brief reception and a presentation of a souvenir folder containing the story of Medway Queen and the direction in which we would like the restoration project to develop. This was also given to all guests and participants present.
In terms of future fundraising we have 2 main priorities: In the medium term we hope to raise the funds to enable Medway Queen to attend the Dunkirk 80th Anniversary commemorations in Ramsgate next year. Prince Michael alluded to the event and Medway Queen’s participation when he visited. We will need around £20K to meet the anticipated towage and insurance costs.
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September 2024
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