P&O Cruises’ ship security officer Dave Yates has returned from a pilgrimage to France where he took the opportunity to lay a wreath of red poppies on behalf of his Carnival Australia colleagues.
Mr Yates, a former UK police officer who regularly journeys to battlefields on the Western Front in France and Belgium with other serving and retired London police officers, was inspired to take his pilgrimage a step further after witnessing the way P&O Cruises’ guests commemorate Anzac Day during onboard dawn services.
With 2014 marking the 100th anniversary of the start of the war, Mr Yates felt this year’s visit taking in the Pozieres battle field would be an ideal opportunity to lay a wreath on behalf of Carnival Australia at the memorial to troops of the First Australian Division.
The accompanying message on the wreath read: ‘Carnival Australia honours troops of the First Australian Division for their sacrifice and service at Pozieres in the Great War. These Australian sons never to be forgotten – Lest We Forget’.
“As we commemorate over the next four years let us not forget that many of our passengers will have some family connection with the First World War,” Mr Yates said.
To prove his point, while in Pozieres Mr Yates met a Brisbane couple who were also touring the local battlefields, before returning to Australia for their first cruise – on P&O Cruises’ Pacific Dawn.
SOURCE: P&O Cruises