Choir Donation to Solomon Browne & Union Star Memorial Project

Wednesday 2nd March, 2022 - 10:19am

At the choir’s usual Monday evening practice on 28th February, we took the opportunity to invite along Martin Brockman and Jo Payne from the Solomon Browne Memorial Fund, and presented them with a cheque for £1,000 towards creating a permanent commemoration of the loss of the lifeboat and the Union Star 40 years ago. Martin’s and Jo’s fathers were among the crew of the Solomon Browne.

Our choir and the lifeboat both go a long way back in the history of Mousehole. Over the years we’ve sung at many of the annual services of blessing for the Penlee lifeboat and her crew, and will do so again on 14th August this year. Some past crew members have also been choir members - including Nigel Brockman, as Martin reminded us. 

Jon Pender, the choir’s chairman in his address, mentioned that there are still several men who were with the choir in 1981, and we took part in some of the memorial services held at that time. One of the most memorable services was in Bristol with a dozen Welsh choirs in January 1982. Jon said that there will never be a more emotional occasion than when the choir sang, on our own and unaccompanied, “Sunset and Evening Star”.

In accepting the cheque, Martin Brockman said that our donation will help provide and maintain a lasting memorial to the people on the Solomon Browne and the Union Star, so that future generations will continue to know about and honour their loss and sacrifice.

It’s been a tradition for us to give the money raised at our Christmas carol concert in Paul Church to local charities. It was a great pleasure for us to put on this event again in 2021, to a limited but enthusiastic audience whose generosity allowed us to make this donation to such a worthwhile cause with close connections to our own community. Thank you One And All!