Ramsey Town Commissioners is to confer the Freedom of Entry on HMS Ramsey.
The honour will be granted at a public ceremony at Ramsey town hall on Saturday 24th April at 11am when the Freedom of Entry will be awarded to HMS Ramsey’s Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Commander Stephen Brown by the chairman of Ramsey Town Commissioners Mrs Sylvia Beattie.
"The affection shown for our town by the ship’s company when they visited us last year after completing a two and a half year tour of duty in the Arabian Gulf, and the very special place the Ship occupies in the hearts and minds of the people of Ramsey inspired me to propose to the Commissioners that we accord the ship Freedom of Entry," she explained.
Mrs Beattie continued, "Ramsey, a town of fewer than 7000 inhabitants, is privileged and honoured that one of the Royal Navy’s ships bears its name.
"24th April promises to be a memorable day in Ramsey’s history as this is very much a first for the town.
"It will be not only a day when the people of Ramsey come together to celebrate the unique relationship our town enjoys with HMS Ramsey but also an opportunity for the Isle of Man as a nation to demonstrate its support for all the men and women in the Armed Forces who are serving in conflicts throughout the world."
Lieutenant Commander Brown remarked that the Ship’s Company ‘are hugely proud of their affiliated town’ whose people have provided invaluable support to the Ship since her commissioning but particularly during her recent long Middle East deployment.
"He went on to say that HMS Ramsey valued the strong friendships which have developed, both with the town and with our wider affiliations.
"Being granted Freedom of Entry is a special honour which has generated a real sense of excitement among the Crew and will doubtlessly form one of our fondest memories of our Service lives."
Plans are being finalised for the event that will see the ceremony preceded by a parade through the town led by an honour guard from HMS Ramsey marching to the Castletown Metropolitan Silver band.
The ceremony will conclude with the presentation by Ramsey Town Commissioners’ chairman Sylvia Beattie of an illuminated address, created by local artist Colleen Corlett, to Lieutenant Commander Stephen Brown, whom the public will have the opportunity to meet, together with his Ship’s Company, once the formalities have been completed.
Among the guests who have already confirmed their attendance are His Excellency the Lieutenant Governor Sir Paul Haddacks KCB and Lady Haddacks, Commodore SR (Dickie) Baum, Naval Regional Commander Northern England and Isle of Man, and Lady Alynne Dunt who launched HMS Ramsey from Vosper Thorneycroft’s yard at Woolston near Southampton on 25th November, 1999.
Commissioned in July 2000, HMS Ramsey is a Sandown Class minehunter and the third Royal Navy ship to bear the name.
In addition to its affiliation with the town of Ramsey, the ship is affiliated to the Steam Packet Company; the Ramsey Charitable Trust; Ramsey Grammar School; the Ramsey branch of the RNLI; the Manx Sailing and Cruising Club and the Sea Cadet Unit TS Whitehaven.
She also has a strong link with the Ramsey branch of the Royal Naval Association.
The practice of awarding Freedom of Entry signifies the esteem in which a military unit or organisation is held by a town and its community and dates from the Middle Ages when troops were not allowed to march through a town without seeking the permission of the local authority.
Freedom of Entry confers the right ‘to march through the streets with bayonets fixed, drums beating and colours flying’.
