Mayor of Rugby joins veterans to remember the heroes of HMS Keppel

Cllr Nooria Sayani invited representatives from the Rugby No.1 branch of the Royal British Legion - including veteran Derek Arrowsmith - to the ceremony, which was also attended by the Mayor and Mayoress of Nuneaton and Bedworth, Cllr Colin Cape and his wife, Julie.

HMS Keppel was adopted by Rugby in March 1942 following a 'Warships Week' - where villages, towns and cities across the country backed the Second World War effort by raising money to represent the cost of building a vessel for the Royal Navy.

In just one week, Rugby raised £471,215 to adopt HMS Keppel - a Shakespeare class destroyer which first launched in 1920 and was stationed in the Far East and Mediterranean before going into reserve in 1937.

But with war looming, HMS Keppel was recommissioned in 1939. Stationed in Gibraltar, the ship escorted convoys in the North Atlantic and to and from the Soviet Union, where the crew endured freezing temperatures in the Arctic.

Rugby's support for HMS Keppel - known as 'The Rugby Ship' - carried on after the ship's adoption, with residents knitting 'comforts' to send to the crew, including balaclavas, socks and scarves to combat the cold.

In the summer of 1944, HMS Keppel was transferred to Operation Neptune - the naval operation which supported the D-Day landings - before it was decommissioned just a month after VE Day (8 May 1945) and sold for scrap.

The crest from the original HMS Keppel - presented to Rugby following the adoption of the ship - now sits in a display case at the Town Hall, together with the bell from the HMS Keppel built for the Royal Navy in the 1950s.

Following last Wednesday's (19 August) remembrance ceremony, Cllr Sayani welcomed guests to the Mayor's Parlour, where tea and a buffet was served - including Derek's favourite, ring donuts.

Phil Deakin, Warwickshire County Council's Armed Forces Covenant officer, spoke to guests about Veterans Contact Point, a Warwickshire-based charity run by veterans to offer free, confidential support and peer mentoring.

Cllr Sayani also spoke with guests about VALOUR, a new Government initiative launched earlier this year to co-ordinate support for veterans across the country.

"The voices within the veterans community hold the key to understanding the complex, day-to-day problems veterans face and the vital support veterans require after serving in the armed forces," Cllr Sayani said.

"I was honoured to welcome Derek and members of our armed forces to the Town Hall for the remembrance ceremony for HMS Keppel, its crew and all those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving their country.

"It was also great to talk about the support on offer for veterans and build new alliances to ensure our veterans receive the recognition, support and opportunities they deserve."

The Rugby No.1 branch of the Royal British Legion hosts a veterans' club at Butlers Mews Care Home on the first Wednesday of each month.

All veterans can attend the veterans' club at the care home in Ridge Drive. Email branch chairman Wayne Perry at rugbyno1.chairman@rblcommunity for more information.

For more information about Veterans Contact Point, visit www.veteranscontactpoint.org.uk