As Founder of the Wartime Maritime Memorial Association C.I.C. ("WVA (Wartime Vessels Association)"), I am honoured to begin this statement by acknowledging the extraordinary legacy of Britain’s wartime small-craft fleets — and by expressing my profound commitment to ensuring that these vessels, their custodians and the communities who care for them are recognised, supported and sustained.
My background, credentials & motivation
Over the past two decades I have invested my time and expertise into maritime heritage, community volunteering and educational outreach. My credentials include:
- Stewardship of Gerfalcon (built 1937): first-hand insight into the technical, financial, and regulatory challenges facing small-craft custodians.
- Published author on maritime heritage: documenting craft preservation and service history so these stories are recorded and shared.
- Broader volunteering & education: leadership in cadet forces, paddlesports touring committees, makerspace communities, and teaching roles — rooted in the belief that heritage = preservation + education + community.
Why WVA matters
There are many associations dedicated to tanks, jeeps, or aircraft. Yet few focus on the wartime small-craft vessels — the linchpins of harbour defence, coastal patrol, mine-sweeping, evacuations, and service support. Many are privately owned, unrepresented, highly vulnerable, and without an association.
WVA exists to fill this gap by offering:
- A membership-based structure where custodians, researchers, descendants, and volunteers have genuine voting rights and influence.
- Support, recognition, and advocacy for vessels with no dedicated preservation body.
- Safeguarding of craft-skills, archival records, and community linkages at risk of being lost.
- A model where vessels are living heritage: restored, actively stewarded, engaged with their communities, and directly connected to their service history.
My promise to the Board & members
- Lead WVA with transparency, integrity, and a clear asset-lock / public-benefit governance model.
- Bring practical experience from vessel restoration, published research, and outreach to the Board’s work.
- Foster a culture of inclusion and collaboration — recognising custodians and volunteers as central to our mission.
- Build partnerships across heritage, education, maritime craft, youth development, and the voluntary sector so that WVA’s impact is both deep and sustainable.
In closing
These vessels — and the histories they embody — remain alive: they move, they breathe, they are stewarded by passionate custodians, and they continue to tell a story of service into the 21st century. By connecting service, heritage, and stewardship, we create something exceptional.
I thank you for your interest in WVA and invite you to join us in ensuring this heritage remains protected, engaged, and alive for generations to come.
Gary Fletcher
Founder, WVA
November 2025