“We have two gentlemen that are trying to do what seems like an impossible task.”
John Henry Phillips and Daniel Oron chat with Maple Syrup Shots Podcast on one wildly ambitious promise to WWII veteran Patrick Thomas and the problems they face making the documentary No Roses on a Sailor’s Grave in thisRemembrance Day edition.
Tune in below at 10:18 for the interview:
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TORONTO, ONTARIO – Filming has begun, time is running out and help is needed to find a vanished piece of history and fulfill 93-year-old WWII British Navy veteran Patrick Thomas’ dream to finally honor his drowned shipmates.
Conflict archaeologist, historian and former rock star John Henry Phillips, in an impulsive moment fuelled by an unexpected bond, promised Patrick he would find his ship and plant the memorial with Patrick by his side.
To learn more about this incredible story and to help us raise the funds to finish the documentary and transform history, please visit our Indiegogo page, https://igg.me/at/roses-sailors-grave.
“You don’t get that many chances to change someone’s life and to make sure that they will never be forgotten,” says John Henry Phillips, “If I can find the ship then I can change history and I can change Patrick’s life and his story will be there forever.”
Like many veterans, Patrick came home from the war and got on with his life. He never spoke of the sinking or his later exploits in the Far East until his twilight years. “Very soon this history will be beyond living memory and Veterans will no longer be around,” adds Stuart Robertson, WWII author, historian and battlefield guide.
Patrick assumed his story and the story of his ship would die with him, but meeting John changed everything.
Henry Phillips, 26, is not the usual WWII aficionado. Two years ago, he arrived at a WWII celebration event and found his accommodations double booked. He had nowhere to stay until a complete stranger, Patrick Thomas, offered John his spare room.
A wonderful and unique friendship began. One day, John said to Patrick: “You know, your ship really deserves a memorial.” He then went further; “Patrick, someone should find your ship.” Needless to say, Patrick agreed. John did not know this was just the beginning of an adventure that would take over his entire life.
“When I said to Patrick I’d find your ship it seemed like a pretty simple task: go to France, find where the ship went down, put a plaque up.”
The problems started immediately, John has no idea where to begin building a permanent memorial, where the ship is and he can’t scuba dive. Undeterred and realizing the gravity of his promise and his friend’s age, John’s search for the missing ship has begun and already inspired help from many.
About Go Button Media: Go Button Media is a boutique production company founded by Showrunners Natasha Ryan and Daniel Oron. Together with extraordinarily talented crews, Go Button Media makes hybrid creative content for all screen sizes. Focusing on charismatic characters, universal stories and smooth delivery, the company delivers punchy, addictive content. Projects include Mom vs Matchmaker and the travel series Discovering Routes.
For more information about “No Roses on a Sailor’s Grave” or Go Button Media, please contact:
Daniel Oron
daniel@gobuttonmedia.com
416-570-0057
Thomas served in the British navy during the war to end all wars. The two met each other by happenstance as a series of unpredictable events forced their paths to cross. Thomas just happened to be in the right place at the right time to ironically help out Phillips. Phillips was on his way to a WWII celebration event in England when the arrangements for Phillip’s accommodations came unraveled.
The two men quickly became friends. During the friendship, Patrick revealed his story to John. After participating in the D-Day landings on Sword Beach, Patrick went back aboard his ship to provide communications for the ground forces. Almost 3 weeks later, Patrick’s ship would be struck by an acoustic mine, sinking the ship. Patrick was knocked unconscious. When he regained consciousness, Patrick found himself floating among the debris in the water as his ship dropped to the bottom of the English Channel. With no memorial and the veterans of the unforgettable day in history passing on, there may not be anything to remember the sacrifice of the brave sailors who braved U-Boat infested waters off the European coast.
While visiting Sword Beach, the idea happened upon John: Patrick’s story should be told and the ship ought to be memorialized. When he told Patrick of his idea, he was all for it, despite not knowing exactly where the ship was or where a permanent memorial would be placed for the ship and his fallen shipmates. The team began shooting and diving, searching for the wreck in the summer of 2017 and plan on having the memorial finalized with Patrick performing the ribbon cutting on the new memorial as early as June 2018. The movie detailing the entire search, No Roses on a Sailor’s Grave, is currently being worked on and will hopefully be released soon.
When genocide and war took Europe by a death grip, ordinary men stepped up and delivered the world from this evil. May they be forever immortalized in our memories and memorials. We look forward to seeing more about this endeavor about a promise kept between two friends, separated by generations, brought together by fate.
Read more at americangrit.com