HOW refreshing to read in the Star, that the Mayor of St Helens, Pat Robinson, took part in the special service for the first-ever Merchant Navy Day, on Sunday, August 3.

The Merchant Navy men who served in World War Two are today's forgotten heroes of the battles of the Atlantic.

My late husband served in the Merchant Navy from 1939 to 46 on troopers, cargos and tankers, on the bridge and on watch high up in the hut (the crow's nest) in some terrible weather conditions, apart from seeing men going down in ships.

Yes, he and many more suffered many hardships, apart from horrors of war but he was lucky and survived it all.

On one trip, coming back from Nova Scotia with full cargo in icy 'Titanic' waters, the ship slid onto an iceberg. With the help of God and the skill of the crew, they managed to slide her off again. Bravely, she ploughed home, tattered and torn, through those cruel waters, to the relief of her crew, into dry dock, Liverpool for repair, the cargo whole.

I am sure there are many such stories that people could tell, many much worse of World War Two horrors. We must never forget all that has happened and all who gave their lives so we could live.

Mrs P. Rance, Fistral Drive, Windle.