PENNY MOURDAUNT: Let’s construct memorial to Navy’s slave commerce busters

Penny Mordaunt at this time hits out at ‘anti-British, grievance-based’ makes an attempt to rewrite historical past and requires a memorial to the Royal Navy’s contribution to ending the slave commerce.

The Leader of the House of Commons urges the nation to not be ashamed of its previous or preserve quiet in regards to the achievements of its armed forces.

Writing within the Daily Mail (beneath) she says that, opposite to what many younger individuals now imagine, the UK was the primary nation to abolish the slave commerce – and that lots of our sailors paid the final word worth within the technique of ending it.

As a consequence, Ms Mordaunt is supporting a marketing campaign to construct the primary memorial to the Royal Navy’s West Africa Squadron, which seized vessels certain for the Americas and freed big numbers of males, girls and kids.

She writes: ‘This Royal Navy flotilla was the principle actor in bodily destroying the slave commerce. Between 1807 and 1867, it freed greater than 150,000 males, girls and kids destined for servitude within the Americas… It captured over 1,600 vessels and greater than 1,500 sailors misplaced their lives within the course of. It was harmful work.’

She additionally wades into the controversy over how Britain ought to take care of the legacy of slavery.

Statues have been taken down lately, faculties and universities have eliminated the names of slave merchants from their websites and the National Trust has drawn up a controversial checklist of 93 properties with hyperlinks to slavery and empire.

King Charles has supported analysis into the monarchy’s involvement within the slave commerce, however is now dealing with calls for for billions of kilos in reparations from slave-owning nations from Caribbean international locations.

Ms Mordaunt – who performed a starring function in his Coronation final yr – writes : ‘Yes, Britain had a task within the slave commerce. Yes, individuals made cash out of it. But let’s be clear about one thing. We ended it. Our largest contribution to the evil commerce was to finish it. We ought to honour those that gave their lives combating to do this.’ The West Africa Squadron was based mostly in her dwelling metropolis of Portsmouth and patrolled the west coast of Africa.

At its peak its 36 ships, crewed by 4,000 males, have been utilizing up half of the Royal Navy’s price range — equal to as a lot as £50 billion at this time. Many a whole bunch of sailors died.

Yet there is no such thing as a memorial to their important and harmful work, prompting native historians to suggest one and fee a design for it.

Ms Mordaunt will unveil a mannequin of the memorial design in Parliament later this month.

It contains three figures — a shackled girl, a naval officer of the time and a freed slave with damaged shackles. The campaigners have arrange an organization to lift the £70,000 wanted to make the full-scale model. Organiser Colin Kemp mentioned: ‘The slave commerce was an appalling episode in our island’s story, which has rightly been consigned to the historical past books.

‘In highlighting the atrocious remedy of those that have been enslaved, we must also spotlight and honour the work of those that did a lot to finish this vile commerce, together with those that made the final word sacrifice.’

Click right here if you would like to contribute in direction of the memorial. 

We should NOT enable our historical past to be rewritten

By Penny Mordaunt MP, Leader of the House of Commons 

If there have been a league desk of self-deprecating nations, Britain would head it. It is a part of our character that we do not wish to shout about issues.

We do not like show-offs. Perhaps as a result of we’re a nation so wealthy in its historical past and achievements that we really feel we do not have to.

These days, it is not modern to be pleased with our historical past, nor optimistic about our future.

Lord Roberts and different historians rightly remind us of the function of British historical past had in forming the world and the way far-sighted our actions have been. George III signed William Wilberforce’s Slave Trade Abolition Act into legislation as early as 1807.

The authorities made the coverage, but it surely was the Royal Navy that carried it out. The reality is, you may have no matter coverage you want however if you cannot carry it out, it is pointless.

Why is that this related? Because the Royal Navy continues to be on the market at this time implementing authorities coverage throughout the globe.

Then, as now, the Royal Navy has a secret weapon — it is competence. Without competence, technique, coverage and know-how is pointless. We discuss too little in regards to the dedication and professionalism of our Armed Forces, however their function in our historical past has been central.

Remembering ethical management, again up by the Royal Navy issues as a result of there is a new era having its first encounter with historic information. It’s essential that they’re instructed the reality.

It’s not our reality. Not the revisionist reality. It’s the reality. But there are a lot of who need to cease that. They push a slim, anti-British, grievance-based narrative. They assume they’re being intelligent, however they’re simply being a good friend to our enemies. They counsel we must be ashamed of our previous or our Armed Forces. They need to rewrite our historical past within the bleakest means.

Most younger individuals can have none of it. They stay and open-minded about historical past. However, a survey carried out by these searching for to additional our historic data discovered only one individual out of 200 had even heard about our function in ending slavery. Equally troubling, most of those that answered didn’t know that we have been the primary nation to abolish the slave commerce, with half of younger individuals mistakenly considering it was the US.

The means we did it was one in every of our most exceptional achievements – the West Africa Squadron. This Royal Navy flotilla was the principle actor in bodily destroying the slave commerce. Between 1807 and 1867, it freed greater than 150,000 males, girls and kids destined for servitude within the Americas. It boarded and seized any vessel concerned and freed their human cargo.

It captured over 1,600 vessels and greater than 1,500 sailors misplaced their lives within the course of. It was harmful work.

It was costly, too. At its peak, it’s estimated to have price the Exchequer a staggering two per cent of the nation’s GDP. That could be equal to the whole defence price range at this time.

No marvel lecturers Robert Pape and Chaim Kaufmann referred to as it: ‘the costliest ethical motion in trendy historical past’. Yet there is no such thing as a memorial to the numerous sailors who misplaced their lives.

So now, we’re placing that proper. This is why I’m backing the marketing campaign to construct the primary memorial to those courageous males. It is led by the businessman and campaigner Colin Kemp. The memorial has been designed, fundraising is beneath means and the plan is to unveil it later this yr in Portsmouth, the place the squadron was based mostly.

Yes, Britain had a task within the slave commerce. Yes, individuals made cash out of it. But let’s be clear about one thing else too. We ended it. Our largest contribution to the evil commerce was to finish it. We ought to honour those that gave their lives combating to do this. If we’re to inform the entire story, then this exceptional initiative ought to have a better profile.