I am sure, like many others, the importance of Remembrance Sunday and the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month cannot be overestimated.

Once more this year, another anniversary passed, that of 80 years since D-Day, June 6, 1944.

Also known as the Normandy Landings, it was the largest seaborne invasion in history.

It marked the beginning of the liberation of France and Western Europe and the turning point of World War II.

We should be very proud of the part that Manx men and the Isle of Man Steam Packet Company vessels played.

Eight ships of the company took part in the historic evacuation, where, in total, 340,000 servicemen were rescued from the French coast.

Eight Steam Packet ships had been requisitioned for the war effort. An estimated 25,000 troops, which equates to one in 14, returned to Dover via the company vessels, retreating under heavy fire from German forces.

Heroic efforts were made by the captains to transport thousands of troops from Dunkirk to Dover.

However, tragedy also struck. Three vessels - Mona’s Queen, King Orry, and Fenella - were lost within 24 hours on May 29, 1940.

One of the vessels, Mona’s Queen, was struck by a German mine and sank with the loss of 24 men, 17 of whom were from our island.

I have two close family friends, Frances and Harry Martland, who, over the past 25 years (other than during pandemic times), have made the journey to visit World War I and World War II Manx war graves in France, Belgium and Holland.

Fran’s grandad and uncle were on Fenella, and when she was sunk, they were transferred onto a paddle steamer called the Crested Eagle, which was bombed at Bray Dunes as they were trying to leave for England.

Her uncle Rob, who was well known on the island as ‘Battling Holmes’, a boxer, told Fran that he was swimming around in the sea, which was on fire, trying to find her grandad, but to no avail.

Rob’s legs were badly burned, and he was repatriated back to England.

Another Manxman, Robert Cannell, was the ship’s carpenter on board Mona’s Queen when it hit the mine.

Even though the fatalities were miles apart, he and her grandad are buried within 20 yards of each other in Marquis Cemetery, some five miles north of Boulogne.

Two of the brave Manxmen resting in a far-off land. They have visited other Manx graves as well - thank you for remembering them, Harry and Fran.

Following the mass evacuation of Allied troops, the anchor of Mona’s Queen became detached from the vessel, meaning it did not become part of the war grave and was no longer part of the wreck site.

This prompted the decision to recover and restore the ship’s starboard anchor before it was returned to the Isle of Man as a permanent memorial in 2011.

It now rests at Kallow Point, Port St Mary, as a fitting tribute to Steam Packet Company personnel lost in combat and at sea.

A former Tynwald member and colleague, the late Captain Andrew Douglas, led the operation to retrieve the anchor from the seabed, alongside former managing director, the late Captain Hamish Ross.

The memorial was duly unveiled on May 29, 2012, and I attended that day.

One of the strongest memories for me was just out to sea: a Steam Packet vessel stood alongside as the ceremony took place.

Each year, a service takes place to mark the heroic efforts shown by many during the war, and on the occasions I was able to attend, I always looked out for another Steam Packet legend, the late Captain Jack Ronan. My thanks to the Steam Packet for information used.

Another Steam Packet captain who made his mark with regard to the part the Merchant Navy played during times of conflict, as well as in more peaceful times, was the late Captain Allan Bridson, an old friend of mine.

He led the campaign, together with Captain Kane Taha, to obtain a Manx Merchant Marine Standard.

This was commissioned by the company and was dedicated in 2013. Allan had represented the Merchant Services at Remembrance Day and other service association events over the years.

Per capita, the Isle of Man’s support of charities generally - and more specifically, in this context, of the Poppy Appeal - is very well appreciated.

For more than 40 years, the Isle of Man Royal British Legion has won the RBL Poppy Appeal Trophy.

Per head of population, the Isle of Man has consistently achieved more than £1 per head.

Coffee mornings, raffles, sales, auctions and attendance at public events have all been beneficial in raising money for the Royal British Legion, both by individuals and corporate supporters.

The island is unique in that it has shown the initiative to design poppy pins relevant to Covid-19 and, of course, the TT.

We have had many distinguished standard bearers from the island for the Royal British Legion over the years, all of whom are worthy of mention here, but space would not allow that.

So, on behalf of these dedicated representatives, I have selected two.

Carol Bernadette Williams MBE, chair of Port St Mary Commissioners and of the RBL Port St Mary Branch, was for many years the standard bearer for the village RBL branch and the UK’s national standard bearer for the RBL women’s section.

She was also the first female sword bearer for the Tynwald Sword of State, a position she held for 25 years before retiring in 2021.

In 2023, her daughter Claire McCabe led 100 RBL standards at the coronation of King Charles, where she proudly dipped the British national standard.

Earlier that year, she led three separate D-Day commemoration services in Normandy and the standards along Whitehall to the Cenotaph during the state funeral for the late Queen.

In May 2022, she competed in the final of the RBL National Standard Bearer Competition against nine other finalists from all over Great Britain.

She won, becoming the first person to win both the Women’s Section and RBL titles.

When the First World War broke out in 1914, the Isle of Man was enjoying the peak of its tourism boom, with more than 650,000 visitors to the island in 1913.

Like every other aspect of life on the island and elsewhere, this would be critically affected by the events of the next four years.

Thousands of people who relied on visitors for their livelihood suffered serious financial problems, but of course, this pales into insignificance compared to the supreme sacrifice of so many over the same time period.

The island sent 8,261 men to fight, of whom 2,344 would be killed, wounded, or missing by 1918, making Manx casualties among the highest of any area.

Manxmen also served at sea in the Royal Navy and Merchant Navy.

So, from those long-ago conflicts to the present day, the Isle of Man has been represented both in conflict and during peacetime.

As stated here on a number of occasions, the world is an unstable place at the moment, with conflicts in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

We are fortunate to live where we do, when we witness the suffering and uncertainty on a world stage. As Christmas approaches, let’s hope for peace.