NEARCHUS: A guard of honour made up of hundreds of firefighters [ 1122 ]

The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.

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This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Friday, April 30, 2010

A guard of honour made up of hundreds of firefighters [ 1122 ]

Firefighter's sons pay tribute

30.04.10

The young sons of a firefighter killed battling a blaze at a residential tower block wore his sporting medals as they released 100 balloons at his funeral.

James Shears, 35, from Poole, Dorset, was one of two firefighters who died tackling the fire at Shirley Towers in Southampton, Hampshire, on April 6.

Ruben Shears, four, released 100 balloons in memory of his father

Ruben Shears, four, released 100 balloons in memory of his father

A guard of honour made up of hundreds of firefighters and members of the public lined the streets outside St George's Church in Poole.

Hundreds of colleagues also lined the streets of Southampton on Tuesday for the funeral of Alan Bannon, 38, who died in the same incident.

Following the service, Mr Shears' two sons, Ruben, four, and five-year-old Frankie, helped by their mother Carla, released 100 balloons in memory of their father.

The boys each wore one of their father's two gold medals for judo in the World Firefighter Games.

Mr Shears' coffin was carried to the church by a turntable ladder fire appliance adorned with flowers followed by members of Red Watch from St Mary's Fire Station, Southampton, on foot and a second fire engine.

The Hampshire Fire and Rescue Service standard was draped over the coffin with Mr Shears' helmet on top.

Members of the public were asked to wear colourful clothing to help celebrate his life.

They stood in a respectful silence as the coffin was carried by six pallbearers into the church.

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