Back to Churchill.
Churchill and Roosevelt met personally for the first time in August 1941, on the sea off Newfoundland, to discuss general principles of alliance against Nazism.
"On Sunday morning, August 10, Mr. Roosevelt came aboard H.M.S. Prince of Wales and, with his Staff officers and several hundred representatives of all ranks of the United States Navy and Marines, attended Divine Service on the quarterdeck.... a deeply moving expression of the unity of faith of our two peoples... the symbolism of the Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes draped side by side on the pulpit;... the close-packed ranks of British and American sailors, completely intermingled, sharing the same books and joining fervently together in the prayers and hymns familiar to both. I chose the hymns myself - "For Those in Peril on the Sea" and "Onward, Christian Soldiers." We ended with "O God, Our Help in Ages Past."... It was a great hour to live. Nearly half those who sang were soon to die."
We have an open hymn sing each Sunday as a part of our worship. Every year on VE Day (and on other days like Memorial Day, ect) she asks to sing "For those in peril on the sea" in honor of her husband who was in the Navy during WWII.
ReplyDeleteHaving her request the song, and knowing the context of her life and the sacrifices they made early in their marraige has given me a real appreciation for that hymn and what it means to so many people who have risked and those who continue risk their lives on the sea.