Early day motion · EDM 859 · 27 Feb 2025

80th anniversary of Operation Open Door

Tabled by Blair McDougall (Labour) 9 signatures

The motion

This House commemorates the 80th anniversary of Operation Open Door, when the British Royal Navy and Norwegian service personnel rescued 502 civilian refugees from the Nazi-Occupied Island of Soroya, Norway; notes the bravery of the people of Soroya in the face of Nazi brutality; celebrates the heroism of all those who took part in the rescue raid and the merchant seamen who helped take the civilians to sanctuary in Scotland; especially commends the 27 members of the crew and Naval Armed Guard of the Liberty ship, the SS Henry Bacon, who sacrificed their own lives to save those of refugees; further notes that the SS Henry Bacon was the last Allied ship sunk by the Luftwaffe in the Second World War; congratulates the village of Neilston in East Renfrewshire for providing a warm welcome and a happy home to these refugees; further commends the work of Matt Drennan and the Neilston War Memorial Association for developing and maintaining a memorial and information board at Kingston Park where the refugees were housed, including 27 trees planted to commemorate the lost sailors; and resolves to live up to the lessons of heroism and humanity offered by the story of those involved in Operation Open Door.

Signatories (9)

Source: the official Early Day Motions database.