Crew members from HMS Prince of Wales swapped stories with veterans at a Greater Manchester care home during the aircraft carrier’s visit to the north west.
Among the residents of Broughton House Veteran Care Village in Salford who met the seven-strong party were 99-year-olds Monty Black and Cliff Butterworth, who both served in the Royal Navy during the second world war.
HMS Prince of Wales docked for a week in Liverpool – its affiliated city – to receive the Freedom of the City and allow members of the public an insight into life on board.
She is the Royal Navy’s biggest warship, with a flight deck measuring 280 metres long and 70 metres wide – large enough for three football pitches.
The Portsmouth-based warship, which has an 800-strong crew, is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft.
The crew members who visited Broughton House were led by Warrant Officer Wolfie Nagel.
They were given a tour of the museum, talked with staff and residents and had lunch in the veterans’ mess. They also presented Broughton House with a plaque bearing the crest of the HMS Prince of Wales as a memento of their visit.
Care home staff members attended a reception on board during the ship’s stay on Merseyside.
Warrant Officer Nagel said: “We meet lots of members of the community and we really like to see veterans.
“The opportunity to talk to them about their experiences is a brilliant education for our crew and helps to keep the memories alive. It was genuinely inspiring to hear the stories of the veterans at Broughton House and to pay our respects to them.
“Their eyes lit up when they were talking to us, sharing their experiences and their stories. It’s an amazing place, and it was wonderful to see how veterans are being taken good care of there.”
Monty was conscripted into the army at the age of 18 in December 1943, later transferring to the Royal Navy, He worked in communications and served in Ceylon and India, gaining experience in sending Morse code messages.
He said: “Having been in the Royal Navy, it was interesting to meet the crew and to hear how they live and what they do. It was very nice that they came to Broughton House.”
Cliff joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1942 at the age of 17 and served as a deck hand on HMS Brocklesby, a Hunt-class destroyer whose missions included escorting convoys of troopships for the seaborne landings on Sicily in July 1943 and the Italian coast in September 1943, before operating in The Channel until the end of the war in Europe.
Broughton House chief executive Karen Miller said: “Our veterans sadly had to decline a prestigious invitation to attend a reception on HMS Prince of Wales due to their frailty, but our disappointment soon turned to delight when crew from the ship informed us that they would make the journey from Liverpool to Broughton House.
“Our residents, particularly our maritime veterans, had a rather magical morning spending time with members of the ship’s crew, swapping stories past and present.
“We can't thank them enough for their generosity of time and kinship. We are very grateful, and wish all the crew fair winds for the future.”
Among the crew members visiting Broughton House was engineer technician Joe Davis-Moore, 18, from Bristol, who was inspired to join the Royal Navy by stories of his great-grandfather John Rowles, an Able Seaman who served on HMS Wild Goose.
He said: “I really enjoyed hearing the Broughton House veterans’ stories. It was genuinely lovely to hear from them first-hand and share our different experiences.”
Broughton House has cared for more than 8,000 veterans since it opened its doors to the ex-service community in 1916.
It was recently redeveloped into a complex with a 64-bed care home, including two 16-bed households dedicated to veterans with dementia, as well as independent living apartments, an array of modern facilities, a museum, gym, hairdressing and barber’s salon, and a restaurant and bar for residents.
It also has an Armed Forces Support Hub, which provides support for elderly and working age veterans living in the community.