2025 has been a memorable year with VE Day & VJ Day celebrations marking the 80th Anniversaries of the end of the Second World War.
With the coming of peace in 1945, many special units set up to specifically assist with the war effort were stood down and disbanded, and one such unit was the Combined Operations Pilotage Parties (COPP) which was based at Hayling Island Sailing Club (HISC) during the war years
The 80th Anniversary of the standing down and disbandment of the COPP force was on 25th October and was marked on the day by a special ceremonial event and commemorative service at HISC.
Representatives of the Royal Navy attended the ceremony after special permission had been given to fly the White Ensign for the duration of the event only.
The Bearer of the White Ensign was Warrant Officer Class 1 Gary Vinny Vines RN.
The event was hosted by HISC Vice-Commodore Sailing David Hitchcock and Léonie Austin of HISC Historical Archives. Colonel (Retd) Charles Ackroyd TD RD DL, Vice Lord-Lieutenant, who has been particularly supportive of recent HISC COPP events, presided over the Ceremony.
Exhibits on show during the afternoon included several personal possessions of Commander Harold Wilkinson Goulding DSO RNR brought by his family, a framed cutaway drawing of the Folbot Canoe and a framed silk Sicily escape map brought by Robert Smith, whose Father, Lieutenant Philip Robert Gilmer Smith, along with Lieutenant David Brand made a daring escape during the Sicily campaign by paddling all the way from Sicily to Malta.
See more Images of the event on the HISC website here . . .
Léonie Austin HISC Historical Archives
