British servicemen and women deployed in Bahrain honoured the last wish of a sailor’s widow who had wanted to visit the grave of her husband in the kingdom for a final time.
June Daniels, however, never managed to make the trip to the resting place of Able Seaman (AB) Joseph Sullivan at the Old Christian Cemetery in Manama.
Her first husband was killed in a road crash in 1957 in Bahrain after just 21 months of marriage.
She later remarried, had two children and five grandchildren and resided in Walton-on-Thames in Surrey, until she died in February aged 82.
However, in her final days, Ms Daniels family said she would take a look at an old treasured photograph and say: “That’s my Joe.”
Her daughter, Michele Weaver, took up the task to honour her mother’s last wish and reached out to the Royal Navy via the War Graves Photographic Project, set up by retired sailor Steve Rogers to record the memorials of service personnel around the world.
“Mum was married and widowed in less than 21 months, which was a sadness she kept to herself,” the Royal Navy said in a statement attributing it to her daughter.
“Mum had a lifelong hope to one day visit Joe’s grave in Bahrain, but she never managed it.”
British personnel acted swiftly and on the 65th wedding anniversary of the Sullivans, organised a special service for the couple at Joe’s graveside at the old Christian cemetery, led by Naval chaplain Reverend Olusegun Balogun.
Mailman
It was attended by the Royal Navy’s Deputy Commander in the region, Captain Nick Wood and Army Postal Courier Corporal Jim Allen.
“Jim (Allen) is performing the duty today which Joe carried out more than 60 years ago,” stated the Royal Navy.
“After seven years in the Navy, the young able seaman arrived in Bahrain in 1956 to serve as the mailman, collecting and distributing post and parcels from Muharraq Airport to sailors based at HMS Jufair, the Royal Navy’s then base in the kingdom.”
The Navy added that Mr Sullivan played for the base’s football and cricket teams, while the couple settled into married life, enjoying spare time at Zallaq beach.
“It meant so much to me personally, to be able to fulfil June’s wishes and pay tribute to AB Sullivan and the valuable contribution he made to the Naval Service,” said UK Maritime Component Command staff Lieutenant Commander Sarah Vines.
“People are the Armed Forces’ most important asset, and whether past or present, they remain part of the Forces family.
“It was a real honour to be able to pay our respects to Joe and his late wife.”
Lieutenant Commander Vines read a tribute to Joe provided by the family, which was even more moving as it came the day after June’s funeral in the UK, and fell on the date of their wedding, held 65 years earlier in South Shields.
“We feel very fortunate to have had the Royal Navy’s support in this tribute to them both and we feel at peace in the sense that mum’s dear wish to mark Joe’s passing and remember their time together in Bahrain has been fulfilled,” said Ms Weaver, who said her family has been deeply moved by the efforts of personnel in Bahrain.
This is the second tribute to a British fallen hero laid to rest at the Old Christian Cemetery in Manama.
Thame residents Adrian and Ann Dite visited Bahrain in 2015 to honour Warrant Officer Joseph Arthur Castle, who received the British Empire Medal for his exemplary service.
Warrant Officer Castle, who died of a heart attack at the age of 33, was buried in Bahrain on September 9, 1957, in row 30, grave 15. He lies between the grave of a 21-year-old flying officer and a plot marked simply RIP (rest in peace).
sandy@gdn.com.bh
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