Mayflower Yacht Rally
During August 2020, the Royal Southampton Yacht Club and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Yacht Club, led a rally, following the sailing of the Mayflower and Speedwell in 1620, linking Southampton, Dartmouth and Plymouth.
The rally carried a ‘Mayflower Badge’ from Southampton’s 1920 Mayflower Pageant to these destinations to gift to their museums.
On Friday,14 August, Cllr Sue Blatchford, Mayor of Southampton, presented two of the badges to members of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club, Laurie Bates and Graham Tracey, and the Commodore of the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve Yacht Club, David Monks, to be presented to the Cities of Dartmouth and Plymouth, in honour of our shared maritime history represented in the voyage of the Mayflower and Speedwell, precisely 400 years ago
On Sunday 22nd August the yachts and badges were welcomed into Dartmouth. The final badge arrived at Plymouth on 25th August 2020. The yachts completed their circular journey and returned to Southampton on Thursday 3rd September. The team were thrilled to welcome Lis Barton, who donated the badges, to the occasion.
The Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Sue Blatchford with Laurie Bates, Graham Tracey and David Monks.
David Monks presenting the Mayflower 300 badge to the Deputy Mayor of Dartmouth, Cllr Sally Hibbert, representing the Town Mayor of Dartmouth, Cllr Graham Webb, in the company of Admiral Robin Schiffner and other members of the Dartmouth M400 group.
Cllr Sally Hibbert showing off the Mayflower 300 badge at Bayard’s Cove.
Presentation of the RNVR Yacht Club Burgee to the Deputy Mayor along with the Royal Southampton Yacht Club Burgee later presented by Graham Tracey to mark the event.
The final badge arrives in Plymouth
The Mayor of Plymouth, receiving his gift from Dartmouth, from Laura Campbell.
Presentation of the RNVR Yacht Club Burgee to Plymouth
The Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Sue Blatchford with Lis Barton.
The Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Sue Blatchford, receiving her gift from Dartmouth, from Graham Tracey.
The Mayor of Southampton, Cllr Sue Blatchford with David Monks, Laurie Bates and Graham Tracey
The badges were generously donated by Lis Barton, whose father came to be in possession of the badges in 1920. “In 1917, my father, Rev. James Lyne Beaumont James (b. 1886), was appointed Rector of Millbrook, Southampton. He was no stranger to Southampton, having served as curate to Doctor Trevaskis at St Luke’s, and after this, as a curate at St Peter’s, Bournemouth. At the time of the Mayflower Pageant in 1920 he had taken leave from Millbrook to travel to Canada. After discussion with my own brothers, and referring to my mother’s book about the James family, we have concluded the badges, always known as the ‘Mayflower Badges’ and kept in an old rusty tin, may had been made for the Southampton Mayflower Pageant. We surmise they could have been meant to be sold to raise money for the Pageant, or possibly for the parish…I can find no references to this Pageant in the James Family History and do not, at this time, have access to his diaries. But, we do know being involved in this Pageant sparked his interest in our family history.” Lis Barton. August 2020
