SEA conditions on Saturday intervened in plans for an island ceremony in Pembrokeshire to commemorate a war hero.

Members of the Tenby branch of the Royal British Legion were all set to sail to Caldey Island for the service in memory of Major Robert Egerton MC, a member of the 59th Squadron Royal Flying Corps.

But the seas were not suitable for their boat to land on the beach, leaving the Legion members disappointed and the congregation at the service depleted.

“We had been planning this for over 18 months as part of our commemoration of the centenary of the start of the First World War, and we were going across with the mayor of Tenby, Councillor Sue Lane, as well as three standard bearers and a bugler,” said Legion member Graham Phillips, who was going to play the bagpipes at the ceremony.

“It’s a great shame that we weren’t able to get to the island, but the commemoration still went ahead in the churchyard of Caldey’s St David’s Church.”

Villagers and members of the monastic community attended, and the service was led by Father Gildas, with a red, white and blue wreath of fresh flowers being laid by retired nun, Sister Rita, who lives on Caldey.

Major Egerton, who joined the Royal Flying Corps after distinguished service in the Army when he was awarded the Military Cross, was killed over France on December 23, 1917.

He is buried in a British military cemetery at Achiet-Le-Grand in France.

His mother, Dame Margaret Egerton, who was living on Caldey in her final years, paid for the Caldey monument which bears her son’s name.

*The visit to Caldey was also going to coincide with the Royal British Legion members officially handing over a collection box for the Poppy Appeal - the first time that one had been in place on the island. This has now been delivered by the Caldey mail boat’s skipper, Alan Thomas.