Revolutionary War prison ship martyrs commemorated in Fort Greene
To celebrate the 107th annual Commemoration and Memorial Tribute to the Revolutionary War prison ship martyrs, the New York City Fire Department’s Ceremonial Unit joined forces with the Society of Old Brooklynites to bring the historic day to life.
According to Ted General, Michael Spinner—this year’s master of ceremonies—kicked off the commemoration at the 149-foot tall Prison Ship Martyrs monument in Fort Greene Park by narrating the traditional Maritime piping ceremony, which included calling out the names of the “15 British prison ships that held thousands of colonial sailors, militia, soldiers and citizens captive under the most inhuman and deplorable conditions.”
The day’s keynote speech was presented by society President George Broadhead, a marine Corps General who, according to General, was decorated that day with a Silver Star for his gallantry under fire during the Korean War.