On a wind-swept point at Bermuda’s eastern most edge a memorial to those lost at sea has been blessed and dedicated as friends and relatives gathered to remember loved ones who perished in the ocean.

Amongst them were three generations of descendants of Warwick resident Elma (Paynter) Joynes who died when the sea liner bringing her home from North America was torpedoed by a submarine at the height of the Second World War.

Ms Joynes was only 24 when she was amongst hundreds who died after the Canadian liner SS Lady Hawkins<$> was hit in January 1942.

Her name is now inscribed in the marble surround of the Figurehead memorial that stands at Great Head Park in St. David’s.

At the official dedication ceremony the one-time Belmont hotel worker’s great-granddaughter Sanna Rae Morris placed flowers beneath the memorial, helped by her grandmother Jean Vickers.

Mrs. Vickers keeps a book of newspaper clippings that record the tragic events of 1942 alongside photos of her departed mother.

“My mother worked at the Belmont Hotel and went to Nova Scotia for six months to work and was coming home when the ship was torpedoed,” she said.

Looking up at the 16 foot tall bronze cast sculpture that forms the centrepiece of the memorial to those lost at sea, she said: “It’s beautiful. We have never had closure because my mother was lost at sea, when we heard about the memorial we though it was a beautiful idea.”

The late Ms Joynes’ three children are all still alive.

Mrs. Vickers — who was Bermuda’s first woman Police officer, came to the ceremony and represented her sister Linda Perinchief and brother Howard Joynes who were unable to attend.

Celebrated Bermudian artist Bill (Mussey) Ming created the memorial in England after salvaging a 100-year-old boat from near a busy motorway road and using it as the basis for his sculpture, which contains nautical items including dividers, a life-belt, paddle, sand timer hourglass and an open book reproducing a section of Allan E. Doughty’s poem “The End of Time”.

The 12-ton structure was inspected by Prince Andrew, Duke of York, last year.

But the final touches, including the marble base inscribed with the names of those lost at sea, had not been completed.

Now that has been done and more than 100 people arrived to see the memorial dedicated by seafarers’ chaplain Rev. David Addington.

Amongst the guests was Myrtle Edness, the mother of fisherman Alan Edness whose death alongside Micah Battersbee at sea during a storm in January 2003 provided the impetus to create a lasting memorial to all those taken by the sea.

Although the loss of Ms Joynes and that of Mr. Edness and Mr. Battersbee are separated in time by 61 years, they are connected in the creation of the memorial through Ms Joynes’ granddaughter Lisa Mattis who is a friend of the Edness family and mentioned her family’s sea tragedy while comforting the Edness’ family following the events of 2003.

She talked to them about the need for Bermuda to have a memorial to those lost at sea and from there the idea went from Mrs. Edness to the Premier of the day Dame Jennifer Smith who set up the Memorial for Those Lost at Sea Committee to steer the idea.

Dame Jennifer and members of the committee were amongst guests at the dedication ceremony and listened as Premier Ewart Brown said: “It seems hard to believe that this idea that came out of such tragedy should spawn such beauty. It is a fitting tribute to those lost at sea.”

And the Premier said he was particularly pleased that the memorial had been created by a Bermudian for Bermuda.

He also noted that artist Mr. Ming and he had been contemporaries at Elliott School.

Dr. Brown praised those who had made the memorial a reality and the grounds’ workers who had created a place that allowed families to experience calm reflection.

As the dedication ceremony took place on land, a small flotilla of boats nearby laid a wreath at sea in memory of those lost to the waves.

Another of the families who had come to remember a loved one were the mother and sisters of Leonard (Sam) Outerbridge was died in 2003 while out on a solo fishing expedition near Castle Island.

His boat was found but the 57-year-old has never been seen since he set out on that final fishing trip.

His mother Lois Outerbridge, sisters Janice Outerbridge Allen and Anita Muhammad, along with brother-in-law Matthew Allen said they thought the memorial was “beautiful” and “impressive.”