TODAY’S striking image was taken at Glasgow’s King George V dock, in February 1960, and the purposeful figure is the Reverend G R Connock, Superintendent of the Mission to Seafarers. The organisation traces its beginnings to 1835: the Revd John Ashley, an Anglican clergyman holidaying near the Bristol Channel, decided to become a chaplain for the men who sailed in the merchant fleet. Other ministries followed his lead, and in 1856 they came together under The Mission to Seamen Afloat, at Home and Abroad. The name was changed two years later to The Missions for Seamen, and it adopted the flying angel as its symbol; the ‘flying angel’ institutes in docks across the world played a key role in merchant sailors’ welfare. In 2000 the name was changed to the Mission to Seafarers. Its website says: “Piracy, shipwreck, abandonment and separation from loved ones are just a few of the problems merchant seafarers face. Around the world, [we] provide help and support to the 1.5 million men and women who face danger every day to keep our global economy afloat. We work in over 200 ports in 50 countries caring for seafarers of all ranks, nationalities and beliefs. Through our global network of chaplains, staff and volunteers we offer practical, emotional and spiritual support to seafarers through ship visits, drop-in seafarers’ centres and a range of welfare and emergency support services.”
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