Crew members from the HMS Prince of Wales with staff and residents at Broughton House Veteran Care Village

Crew members from HMS Prince of Wales swapped stories with our veterans during the aircraft carrier’s visit to the north west.

Among our residents who met the seven-strong party during their trip to Broughton House were 99-year-olds Monty Black and Cliff Butterworth, who both served in the Royal Navy during the second world war.

HMS Prince of Wales docked for a week in Liverpool – its affiliated city – to receive the Freedom of the City and allow members of the public an insight into life on board.

She is the Royal Navy’s biggest warship, with a flight deck measuring 280 metres long and 70 metres wide – large enough for three football pitches.

The Portsmouth-based warship, which has an 800-strong crew, is capable of carrying up to 40 aircraft.

The crew members who visited Broughton House were led by Warrant Officer Wolfie Nagel.

They were given a tour of our museum, talked with staff and residents and had lunch in the veterans’ mess. They also presented Broughton House with a plaque bearing the crest of the HMS Prince of Wales as a memento of their visit. Some of our staff members attended a reception on board during the ship’s stay on Merseyside. The HMS Prince of Wales crest presented to Broughton House Veteran Care Village is in the foreground

Warrant Officer Nagel said: “We meet lots of members of the community and we really like to see veterans.

“The opportunity to talk to them about their experiences is a brilliant education for our crew and helps to keep the memories alive. It was genuinely inspiring to hear the stories of the veterans at Broughton House and to pay our respects to them.

“Their eyes lit up when they were talking to us, sharing their experiences and their stories. It’s an amazing place, and it was wonderful to see how veterans are being taken good care of there.”

Monty was conscripted into the army at the age of 18 in December 1943, later transferring to the Royal Navy, He worked in communications and served in Ceylon and India, gaining experience in sending Morse code messages.

He said: “Having been in the Royal Navy, it was interesting to meet the crew and to hear how they live and what they do. It was very nice that they came to Broughton House.”

The HMS Prince of Wales crest presented to Broughton House Veteran Care Village is in the foreground

Cliff joined the Royal Navy as a volunteer in 1942 at the age of 17 and served as a deck hand on HMS Brocklesby, a Hunt-class destroyer whose missions included escorting convoys of troopships for the seaborne landings on Sicily in July 1943 and the Italian coast in September 1943, before operating in The Channel until the end of the war in Europe.

Our chief executive Karen Miller said: “Our veterans sadly had to decline a prestigious invitation to attend a reception on HMS Prince of Wales due to their frailty, but our disappointment soon turned to delight when crew from the ship informed us that they would make the journey from Liverpool to Broughton House.

Back row, L-R Leading Engineering Technician Caroline Shepheard, Broughton House’s museum curator Owen Hammond, Broughton House chief executive Karen Miller, Warrant Officer Wolfie Nagel and Engineering Technician Ellen Lind. Front row: Cliff Butterworth, left, and Monty Black

“Our residents, particularly our maritime veterans, had a rather magical morning spending time with members of the ship’s crew, swapping stories past and present.

“We can’t thank them enough for their generosity of time and kinship. We are very grateful, and wish all the crew fair winds for the future.”

Among the crew members visiting Broughton House was engineer technician Joe Davis-Moore, 18, from Bristol, who was inspired to join the Royal Navy by stories of his great-grandfather John Rowles, an Able Seaman who served on HMS Wild Goose.

He said: “I really enjoyed hearing the Broughton House veterans’ stories. It was genuinely lovely to hear from them first-hand and share our different experiences.”

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