Friday, 21st November 2008
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HMS Crane Association veterans visit WWT Slimbridge's Cranes
Veterans from the HMS Crane Association visited WWT Slimbridge this month to meet Slimbridge's new residents, the cranes.
The 9 veterans presented the birds, after which their ship was named with their very own navel crest as a passing out gift. The cranes which have been in the Crane School since hatching earlier this summer have now passed the first stage in their training and are entering the secondary school phase.
In the secondary school phase the Cranes will learn about predators - and the team will be discarding their disguises when doing the more noisy jobs the Cranes dislike.
Gloucestershire resident, Roy Lidgett, who served on HMS Crane from 1957 to 1959 says 'When we heard about WWT's plans to reintroduce Cranes to the UK after hundreds of years of extinction on these shore we were keen to get involved. WWT and their partners need to raise funds for rearing facilities - adopting a Crane is just one of the ways ordinary people like us can help'.
Roy added 'It is important that organisations like the HMS Crane Association to show support a charity which is helping save habitats around the world for future generations. Sir Peter Scott, the founder of WWT served in the navy during the Second World War and was responsible for our camouflage!'
HMS Crane had an illustrious career in the 22 years it served in many World War II campaigns including the Battle of the Atlantic alongside home waters and the far east. Commissioned in 1943 she was decommissioned in until 1963.
The HMS Crane Association was formed 10 years ago to keep the many crew members who served over the years in touch with each other and forms part of the network of ex-naval service people.
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