NAVY NEWS, JULY 2007 15
● An impressive view of the nation’s fl agship, HMS Ark Royal, arriving in Greenwich for 25th anniversary commemorations of victory in the Falklands Picture: PO(Phot) Mark Hipkin, DPR(N) Whitehall
Their finest hour
TWENTY-FIVE years after the Senior
passage to London, where she subsequently invited Cathedral on 20 May, attended by 700 personnel able to pay his respects to his lost shipmates.
Service’s fi nest post-war hour, today’s
on board members of the public, hosting more than from all three services, and the Band of the Royal The Earl of Wessex and the Minister for the
sailors, marines and airmen have
500 visitors on tours of the ship. Marines Plymouth. Armed Forces, Adam Ingram, laid wreaths during
Later that month she visited Cornwall to take Seven Royal Marines and one RN sailor based a memorial service for the Royal Fleet Auxiliary at
extended hands across the generations part in the commemorations in Newquay, where the in Poole were killed during the 1982 campaign, Port Fitzroy on 13 June.
to honour their forebears who liberated
Royal Marine Band from HMS Raleigh played for and servicemen and women from Royal Marines On Friday June 15 Prince Michael of Kent paid
the Falklands.
half an hour before a dramatic flotilla of Cornish Poole marched through the town to remember tribute to the Merchant Navy and RFA at a sunset
Commemorations marking the sacrifices of 1982
fishing boats, sailing boats, gigs, coastguard vessels, their colleagues and exercise their Freedom of the wreath-laying ceremony at the Merchant Navy
reached their climax last month with heartfelt
lifeboats, tugs and yachts sailed past the ship, giving Borough. Falklands War Memorial in Trinity Square, London.
ceremonies in every corner of the British Isles as
her a salute with flares and water cannon. A Viking amphibious vehicle followed the parade, The event also marked the vital contribution
In June she visited the city of Edinburgh, home which was led by the Band of HM Royal Marines and of the many civilians who helped to put the Task
well as the sweeping, bleak bays of the South Atlantic
of her Sea Swap sister, on an affiliation visit, and a Guard of Honour. Force together, and those civilian crew members
islands.
stayed for five days, during which she welcomed RN establishments held their own special events. who volunteered to stay at their posts and travelled
In London the most visible symbol of the senior
aboard Falklands veterans, civic dignitaries and Sailors from HMS Collingwood remembered the south.
service was the Navy’s flagship HMS Ark Royal,
schoolchildren. She also took part in a Royal British Falklands as they celebrated their Freedom of The memorial was unveiled in 2005 to
which berthed at Greenwich on June 13 and stayed
Legion march and a service of remembrance at St Fareham with a march through the town followed by commemorate the Merchant Navy and RFA sailors
for nearly a week to support the events.
Giles’ Cathedral. an inspection by Lady Thatcher. who lost their lives when the Atlantic Conveyor and
The carrier hosted thousands of guests on pre-
In Cardiff, HMS York welcomed Falklands Earlier that day the former Prime Minister had RFA Sir Galahad went down.
arranged visits, including schoolchildren and local
veterans on board and was open to members of visited Portsmouth Naval Base to view the special The RFA has its own Falklands Memorial at
community groups.
the public over the weekend. The ship supported display Task Force South – The Royal Navy and the Marchwood, near Southampton.
Nearly 8,000 miles away in the Falklands, HMS
the city’s commemoration events with a 21-gun Falklands War – at the Royal Naval Museum. Members of the RFA, RFA Association, Sir
Edinburgh, currently on Atlantic Patrol Task (South)
salute and a 24-man guard for the Commemorative In HMS Raleigh, some of the Navy’s newest recruits Galahad and Sir Tristam Association and families
held a service on the spot where HMS Coventry was
Veterans’ Parade. joined Falklands’ veterans for the establishment’s gathered for a memorial service on 8 June, the day in
sunk in May 1982, 10 miles north of Pebble Island.
HMS Bulwark berthed in Sunderland and provided passing-out parade, which included a Falklands 1982 on which Sir Galahad was lost and Sir Tristram
The Church Officer read the names of the 19
a colour party and two platoons of sailors and platoon. was bombed.
people, including a laundryman, who went down
marines for the Falklands parade in Newcastle, where The Inspecting Officer was Commodore Jamie Every year a service is held at the site of the
with HMS Coventry and remain with the ship, which
thousands of people thronged the city centre for one Miller, Naval Regional Commander for Wales and memorial, at St John the Apostle Church in
is now an official war grave.
of the largest Falklands 25 events outside London. Western England, who served in HMS Coventry Marchwood, where a wall carries the names of all
On the day of the national commemoration on 17
Detachments from HMS Calliope and RMR Tyne during the campaign and survived the sinking of both the RFA who lost their lives, and the crests of the
June, HMS Edinburgh was in San Carlos Water and
and the Band of the Royal Marines Scotland joined the ship and his life-raft. ships on which they had served and sailed from
fired her guns to signal the beginning of the two-
the sailors from Bulwark. A joint team of Clearance Divers and Royal Marchwood.
minute silence for the service of remembrance.
Earlier in June Bulwark visited the west coast of Engineer Divers from the Defence Diving School Dinners and private reunions were held all over the
HMS Edinburgh is currently taking part in a Sea Scotland, where she conducted a memorial service and Fleet Diving Squadron flew to the Falkland UK. Lady Thatcher was a guest at a dinner hosted by
Swap trial with HMS Exeter – the ships have swapped for Foxtrot 4, the landing craft from 4 Assault Islands to pay their respects to the lost ship’s the Lord Mayor of London based on the ‘Campaign
crews, so that HMS Edinburgh can continue her Squadron Royal Marines, which was attacked by company of HMS Ardent. Victory Dinner’ which she held in October 1982.
work in the South Atlantic with Exeter’s crew, and enemy aircraft two weeks after taking survivors off The five-man team, led by Lt ‘Soapy’ Watson, The Princess Royal was the guest of honour at the
Edinburgh’s crew can be tasked around the UK. HMS Antelope, with the loss of C/Sgt Brian Johnston dived on the wreck, where LS(D) John O’Brien laid “Heroes Dinner” at the Old Royal Naval College
HMS Exeter has been one of the busiest ships and five of his sailors and Marines. a plaque and Lt Watson raised the Ensign. Cdr Ken in Greenwich; and Lady Fieldhouse was guest of
during Falklands 25. Early in May, she took a party The minehunter HMS Quorn visited Bristol for a Enticknap, who was a chief stoker fighting fires on the honour at the Battle of the Falklands Anniversary
of nine HMS Exeter veterans up the Thames on her long weekend which culminated in a service in Bristol Ardent, was also in the boat during the dive and was dinner held in HMS Nelson.
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