This year is the sixty seventh -year of V.E. Day, by the end of the 1939-45 war the ship had carved her name in maritime history as HMS Medway Queen
A few years ago, of course was the ' Sea Britain 2005', so to me it is a national disgrace that the Medway Queen has not been restored by now, to take her rightful place in the next review of the fleet.
I said this before on many occasions, and I say again, she is as importance to our maritime history as The Victory or the Cutty Sark.

SHE HAS ALL THE QUALIFICATIONS

DUNKIRK BATTLE HONOURS

7000 TROOPS SAVED FROM THE BEACHES

OFFICERS AND CREW WERE AWARDED FOR GALLANTRY

HER SKIPPER AND HER FIRST OFFICER RECIVED THE DSC, TWO OF HER PETTY OFFCERS AND A CREWMAM RECIVED DSM, AND CREW WERE MENTIONED IN DESPATCHES

SHOT DOWN TWO ENEMY AIRCRAFT

SHE WAS ONE OF THE FIRST INTO DUNKIRK, AND ALSO ONE OF THE LAST TO LEAVE.

THUS EARNING THE NAME OF 'HEROINE OF DUNKIRK'

PLUS: SHE IS THE ONLY EXISTING ESTUARY EXCURSION PADDLE STEAMER OF HER KIND IN THE UK, THE ENGINES ARE ORIGNAL AND BUILT FOR THE MEDWAY QUEEN, AND SOLE SURVIVOR OF THE 'QUEEN LINE'

SO LETS MAKE THIS ALSO, THE YEAR 0F THE MEDWAY QUEEN.
All we need now is the money to restore the hull we can do the rest. Just look at the Funnel and Paddle Boxes, on display in the Historic Dockyard at Chatham. We have the skills and can pass them on to others to refit the ship, providing access and learning to future generations.
If we do not succeed this year, we will not only lose a historic ship, but also lose the opportunity to pass the old skills on.
As a tradesman, like all other tradesman having learnt my trade from my peers gives us all the opportunity to do the same.

Brian Burton, Vice-chairman, Medway Queen Preservation Society,
Trade B.M.WELDER ( second from left in photo)

Some of the Boilermakers involved with our project

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