Recently I was honoured to attend a civic event in the city of Hull, inside its historic Guildhall, the seat of local government in the city.
The current Guildhall is Hull's fourth and dates back to 1906. The internal decoration of the building is marvellous and a tribute to the civic pride and splendour of a great city.
A tradition in Hull is that visiting warships leave a small decorative shield which is then mounted on a wall in one of the long corridors of the guildhall. The collection is impressive to say the least, and testifies to the continuing links between the great city and the Royal Navy and other friendly navies.
The US destroyer Arleigh Burke left a memento of its visit to Hull in 1996
HMS Juno the Leander class frigate?
Possibly this HMS Sirius the Leander class frigate?
HMS Wakeful the support ship?
HMS Echo the survey ship?
This badge, probably from one of the HMS Echo survey ships, is of special interest to me since my father served on an earlier survey ship, HMS Scott.
HMS Scott, on which my father served in the 1950s and 60s
This marvellous Victorian clock can be found in the corridors of the Hull Guildhall.
Me being impressed by the ornate splendour of the Hull Guildhall. Lord Lieutenant in the background.
An ornate ceiling in the Hull Guildhall featuring plenty of Yorkshire roses