The Naval Service Memorial

The Royal Naval Association has been running a project to mark the 60th anniversary of its Royal Charter in 2014. The RNA National Council wanted an all-inclusive memorial that commemorates those who have served, serve today and will serve tomorrow regardless of rank, trade or fighting arm. We sought designs for a memorial to be placed in the Naval Section of the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA) to be a place for shipmates and their families of the Naval Service to quietly remember their comrades and loved ones. The Naval Service consists of;

Royal Navy
Royal Marines
Royal Naval Reserves
Royal Marines Reserves
Royal Fleet Auxiliary
Women’s Royal Naval Service
Queen Alexandra’s Royal Naval Nursing Service
Royal Naval Auxiliary Service

The core idea has been developed and created by Graeme Mitcheson, based on a design submitted by Mr Nigel Huxtable, Assistant General Secretary RNA.

‘At the going down of the Sun we will remember them’.

The memorial shows a figure facing West into the setting sun, head bowed in respect to Shipmates. The figure suggests this could be a sailor from the bell bottoms and round cap held in the ‘at ease’ position, but is deliberately ambiguous.

Coloured glass panels diffuse light onto a white limestone pavement. The colours are those of the 5 oceans – Steel grey for the Atlantic; turquoise for the Indian; ultramarine blue for the Pacific; and with white inserts for the Arctic and Southern Ocean. Yellow for the rising sun – red is there for the setting sun and for the blood spilled at sea and on the land in the defence of our nation. Suggestions of green for the Royal Marines and dark colours for dived submarines.

The glass panels suggest waves and motion – from the side, masts in harbour. The panels vary in size to suggest the tide coming in and out. The glass panels cast a shadow suggesting the shape of a warship which is in the direct gaze of the figure. The shape of the shadow ship changes as the sun moves.

From right angles the glass panels suggest medal ribbons, the colours of the Atlantic and Arctic Stars are present.

The figure is made from battleship grey Kilkenny limestone, which turns black when wet, drying in patches showing the way water is integral to the figure.

Carved figure

The unveiling and dedication at the arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, took place on Sunday June 15 2014. Their Royal Highnesses Prince and Princess Michael of Kent were in attendance, with a number of senior Royal Navy Officers and politicians. Mayors from Naval communities and Commanding Officers representing all the fighting arms of the Naval Service were invited. The parade consisted of the Royal Marines Band CTCRM and a guard from HMS Forward, who paraded the Royal Naval Reserve Colour. A contingent of Phase 2 trainees from HMS Collingwood and Sea Cadets from Warsash, near Southampton joined the RNA community and their families for this memorable event.

The Naval Service Memorial is not solely for the RNA, but a gift to the Naval Service from the RNA on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the RNA Charter. With over 15,000 members across 370 branches in the UK and overseas, we are a family of current and former Naval Service personnel, relatives and supporters of our country’s Royal Navy.

Whether we are catching up with friends at our regular social events; fundraising; advising on welfare and employment matters, or just providing an arm around the shoulder, our natural willingness to help others stems from the tradition and camaraderie that only Naval Service life can instil. Everything we do is inextricably linked to our core values: Unity, Loyalty, Patriotism and Comradeship.

www.royal-naval-association.co.uk

Carved figure

The memorial has been made possible through generous donations given the Gosling Foundation, RNRMC, members of the Conference of Naval Associations and RNA branches and their members.

The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity improves the lives of all who serve – past and present – and their families. We focus on those who wear uniform today – ships, squadrons, submarines and commandos – and do all we can to boost morale, improve facilities and ease the pressure that life in the Service can bring. We are a grant making charity and provide valuable funds for naval and military charities that work with families and veterans, especially those experiencing difficulty with child support, ill-health, old age or hard times.

“As the principal charity of the Royal Navy we strive to improve the quality of life for the entire Naval family and are proud to say that we do”. www.RNRMC.org.uk

Seafarers UK

Provide grants to specialist maritime charities and organisations, often small local ones, that are working to help serving and ex-serving seafarers and their families who are experiencing hardship. Our key aim is to provide sustainable funding and improve the quality of life for those in greatest need. www.seafarers-uk.org

Donations

Our link to our memorial page is www.bmycharity.com/CaptainPaulQuinnOBE

The following is a list of those who have donated to The Naval Service Memorial; it is continually updated as donations are received.

SPONSORS	MAJOR DONORS	IN MEMORIUM	OTHER ASSOCIATIONS/DONORS

The Gosling Foundation	RNA Area 1	S/m Carrrington	Tewkesbury Rotary Club
Royal Naval Association	RNA Area 3	S/m Chatfield A M	2nd HMS Manchester
RN & RM Charity	RNA Area 12	S/m Donovan R	Folkstone Town Hall
Seafarers UK	Bangor	S/m Dudley B	RMA Morecambe
	Belfast	S/m Glover D	RN Golfing Society
	Christchurch	S/m Horn D	The Ton Class Association
	Greenford	S/m Le-Voir G	CQ Cufflinks Ltd
	Llanelli	S/m Laver L	Just Giving
	Lichfield	S/m Meredith A J	Sarah Ayton
	Ludlow	S/m Milligan	Kevin Cornelius
	Pershore	S/m Mowbray D	Mrs Glester
	Owen G	S/m Rees N	Timperely Villa Football Club
	The Ganges Association	S/m White R
	Lymington & District	G R Condor
	In memory of S/M Lock S	Mrs Dawes
		H Hoskyn
		N P Watts
		S/m Alice Inwood
		S/m Beadle D
		S/m Merriman J E
		S/m Sanders E
		S/m Chivers MBE
		S/m Hughes J
		S/m Long T
		S/m Goode J
		S/m Cotton F
		S/m Cook E
		S/m Price B
		S/m Long D
		S/m Newton B
		S/m Plummer M J
		S/m Haskell W
		S/m Coyle M
		S/m Batchford H
		S/m White R W
		S/m James G
		S/m Denston C P
		S/m Rennie J
		S/m Hyman H
		S/m McShee W
		S/m White R W
		S/m Weir A
		S/m Haymen D
		S/m Day R
		S/m Forbes
		S/m Applegate
		S/m Craft M D
		S/m Stafford J
		S/m King R J
		S/m Baum P
		S/m Needham W
		S/m Laver L
		S/m Bill Atkinson

RNA branches


Arlesford	Harlow	Peterborough	Purley
Atherton	Hemel Hempstead	Plymouth	Rosyth & West Fife
Ashford	Henlow	Portland	St Austell
Ayslebury	Huntingdon	Ramsey	Bangor
Beccles	Ketton	Romford	Selsey
Bletchley	Letchworth	Royal Leamington Spa	Grantown on Spey
Brixham	Limavady	Runcorn	Bangor
Caerphilly	Liskeard	Sevenoaks	Lymington
Chester	Llandudno	Sherborne	St Austell
Corby	Londonderry	Skelmersdale	Rosyth & Fife
Costa Blanca	Manor Park	South Bristol	Purley
Crosby	Margate	Spalding
Delabole	Mid Antrim	Spennymoor
Derby	Millom	Sunderland
Dorchester	Market Harborough	Swaffham
Dublin	Netley	Tenbury Wells
East Antrim	Newark	Tyne
Eastbourne	Newport	Whitstable
Folkestone	Newport South Wales	Wisbech
Frome	Norwich	Woking
Gloucester	Nuneaton	Worthing
Gosport	Oswestry	Wymondham

INDIVIDUAL DONATIONS

Abbott A	Davies T	Lynam J	Salt M
Amphett R	Dovey C	MacClean	Sanders T
Angrove W J	Downer S	Mackenzie T	Sanderson J
Armour R A	Duff A	Macleod-Carey A	Sandford W
Ayton F	Earley J	Macrae I	Sassoon H
Banham D	East S	Martin P	Sharpe D
Banks	Elliot K	Masters A	Short W
Bansall E	Elmy B	Masters A D	Sims-William T J
Bansall-Allen E	Entwistle	Mayes D	Smith D
Barlow J	Farr R	McCullough A	Smith E
Barlow T	Finch B A	Mclean L	Smith T
Barraclough	Ford C	Meldrum I	Smith T J
Bassett L	Gilchrist K	Merrett P	Southard P
Bell-Capel A	Gladstone J	Messenger P	Staniford J
Bias R	Goetz T	Miles G	Stone J
Bilverstone B	Goode R	Miles R	Summers A
Birch F	Grainger R M	Minn H	Sutherland
Bird D	Grinstead	Monk	Thacker G
Blackett	Gurney	Moore R	Thistlewaite
Blatchley P	Hadler D	Morison J T	Thompson
Bloomfield T	Hand C	Morris K	Thompson D
Bottomley J	Hayward M	Moss	Tromans F
Bridger D	Hillier Lt Cdr	Moulding P S	Tunks M
Briggs R	Hine S	Neilson R	Turnbull K
Bristow L	Hobson J	Newton Lt Col	Uglow
Brown A	Holden K	North M	Unwin R
Brown D	Holdsworth A	Oliver J Rev OBE	Valler A
Bunbury C	Holland J	Osment C	Vickers J
Burgess A	Horlick E	Palmer A	Walker W
Bush F	Horn D	Palmer S	Warburton B
Cair D	Hurford P	Parker A	Ward D
Cappell H	Hutchinson	Parker M	Ward M
Carlton C	Jackson B	Parkin W	Wareing P
Carrington D	Jones R	Parr A	Watson R
Cassar-Torreggiani H	Kent A	Patience G	Webster I
Charter S	Ketteridge D	Pearson S	Welland A
Clayton E	Lahiff S	Peskin E	Wheeler J
Clements S	Lane M	Pickering N	Whetstone S
Constable A	Laverick G	Pickles J	Whitaker A
Coombe D	Lawrie D	Pretty G	Whitley G
Cooper R	Leary G	Purkiss R	Williams M
Copelin B	Lebeter W	Rathbone P	Williams N
Cowell A	Leishman S	Rendell R	Wills F
Cox T	Livesey D	Richardson K	Windust J
Crocker N	Low R	Richolme H	Wood R
Croney	Lucas J	Robertson D E	Woods F
Cummingham P	Lunn F	Roper W	Woolhouse G
			Wragg M

An information board is available at the NMA that tells the story of the memorial. Should you wish you have a name annotated on this QR site ‘In memory’ of someone who has served, please contact RNA HQ.