Skip to player
Skip to main content
Skip to footer
Search
Connect
Watch fullscreen
Like
Comments
Bookmark
Share
Add to Playlist
Report
Portsmouth Naval Memorial rededication ceremony - 100th year anniversary
The News, Portsmouth
Follow
04/10/2024
Thousands of Royal Navy personnel who lost their lives during both world wars are named and pictured on the memorial.
Category
🗞
News
Transcript
Display full video transcript
00:30
I don't know if you can see it, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
00:37
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
00:44
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
00:51
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
00:58
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:03
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:08
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:13
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:18
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:23
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:28
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:33
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:38
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:43
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:48
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:53
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
01:58
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:03
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:08
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:13
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:18
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:23
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:28
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:33
It's really hard to see, but there's a lot of snow in this area.
02:39
...as the great memorials erected at the end of the First World War
02:44
come to that classic period in their lives.
02:48
And they mark the thousands of men and women who were missing
02:52
or who had no known grave, which couldn't have been marked by their families.
02:57
And they are now reaching the milestone of 100 years since that period.
03:02
The general public are often drawn to the vast battlefields of France and Belgium,
03:07
where hundreds of thousands of men remain missing to this day.
03:11
The grand memorials at Menin Gate and at Tiefel pay their tribute.
03:17
What immediately or does not immediately spring to mind in the general public
03:22
are the 45,000 men and women from homes across the country
03:27
who died while serving with the Royal Navy during the First World War.
03:32
The majority of them were lost at sea and have no graves for their families to mourn.
03:39
They're known only to God.
03:42
Just as in France and in Belgium, a fitting way to commemorate their sacrifice was needed.
03:50
When someone joined the Navy, they were allocated to a particular manning port
03:55
for administrative purposes, the paperwork, today's HR, as we would understand it.
04:00
And at the end of the war, the Admiralty and the Imperial War Graves Commission,
04:05
as it was at that time, decided that the three great manning ports
04:10
of Portsmouth, of Chatham and of Plymouth should each have an identical memorial
04:16
to bear the names of their naval personnel with no grave but the sea.
04:23
The Commission built these unmistakable obelisks designed by Sir Robert Lorimer,
04:29
which would be seen by all vessels using these ports,
04:33
keeping the fallen in daily view, whether it's at sea or on land.
04:39
Sadly, only 15 years after this was unveiled in 1924,
04:45
the Navy, a country, was called to fight another global war.
04:50
Hundreds of thousands of men and women joined up,
04:53
and another 60,000 naval personnel died in service between 1939 and 1945.
05:02
The existing memorials, including this one, were extended
05:06
to accommodate the names of the Second World War dead.
05:10
And today, this memorial behind us commemorates 25,000 naval personnel
05:17
who died, more than 9,500 in the First World War, and 15,000 in the Second.
05:25
It's a challenging memorial for all of us, the Commission and the people of Portsmouth,
05:31
to care for. It's strafed by the sea air, its soft stone suffers,
05:37
but we work hard to keep the condition fresh, to preserve its integrity
05:43
and its innate majesty, to ensure that as a memorial that marks the loss
05:48
of those 25,000 sailors, that it will exist in perpetuity as a memorial
05:55
to their lives, and that they will not, will not be forgotten.
06:01
Now, as the number of veterans who took part in those momentous events fall
06:06
to small numbers, the responsibility for keeping the stories of those
06:10
that served alive passes on to the next generation.
06:15
And to keep that alive, we must do. So I'd like to introduce Mr Simon Bendry,
06:21
who has been the driving force between the Commission's torch of commemoration,
06:26
which we initiated at the start of the D-Day 80 events,
06:30
which started here in Portsmouth earlier this year.
06:35
Here you see the lighting of a torch, our torch of commemoration.
06:41
The inspiration for this torch came from several sources,
06:45
including the First World War poem, In Flanders Fields,
06:48
written by Canadian poet John McRae.
06:51
In there is a line about holding high the torch and passing it to the next generation.
06:57
To you, with failing hands, we throw the torch, be yours to hold it high.
07:03
We were inspired by this idea of lighting a torch and passing it on.
07:08
When the torch proved hard to source, the Canadian charity generally offered to assist.
07:14
Our torch of commemoration is a replica of the Canadian Remembrance Torch,
07:19
which was designed and built by a team of engineering students
07:23
from McMaster University in Ontario, Canada.
07:27
In 2024, our torch of commemoration has travelled all across the United Kingdom,
07:33
before it made its way here to Portsmouth and then on to France to commemorate D-Day.
07:39
It has since travelled through Belgium and the Netherlands,
07:42
following the routes taken by those fighting to liberate those countries 80 years ago.
07:49
We will continue to light their legacy and ensure that all of those who served
07:54
and those who died are not forgotten.
07:57
But what was their legacy?
08:00
Duncan Redford of the University of Portsmouth wrote,
08:03
Without the Royal Navy's attention to the defence of Britain's seaborne trade,
08:08
especially in the struggle against German U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic,
08:12
there would not have been food for this country, fuel for the RAF's operations,
08:18
or supplies to keep the army fighting in Europe, North Africa and the Far East.
08:24
Yet the outstanding naval contribution to Britain's survival and eventual victory
08:30
came at a heavy cost in terms of ships,
08:33
and to the men and women who had to face not just the violence of the enemy,
08:37
but also the violence of the sea.
08:40
This year, 100 years on from the unveiling of this memorial,
08:44
we will light this torch as a symbol of our commitment to ensuring that their legacy lives on,
08:50
that who they were and what they did is not forgotten,
08:54
that it is commemorated, and that coming generations will remember them.
09:15
To love one another as I have loved you,
09:19
greater love has no one than this,
09:21
to lay down one's life for one's friends.
09:25
In 1924, the Lord Bishop of Southampton dedicated this memorial
09:31
to the memory of those who died in what was known as the Great War,
09:35
the war to end all wars.
09:38
Sadly, it did not,
09:40
and in the past 100 years, many more names have been added to these walls.
09:45
Years go by, but the spirit of sacrifice and service remain unchanged.
09:51
Therefore, on this centenary, we honour their sacrifice
09:56
and prepare ourselves for future sacrifices
10:00
by rededicating this memorial,
10:02
using similar words to those that were used 100 years ago.
10:08
Almighty God, we thank thee for the blessed and inspiring example of thy servants,
10:15
who, girded with a loyal sense of the justice of their cause,
10:19
dedicated their lives to the service of their country,
10:22
that in safety, welfare and honour might be assured.
10:27
May their sacrifice inspire us to nobler living
10:31
and to a like devotion to our eternal homeland.
10:36
If ever we are in danger of forgetting the cost of peace,
10:39
or if ever our footsteps falter in the path of duty,
10:44
may these memorials serve to be eloquent, embracing our hearts,
10:49
reminding us afresh of the heroism of thy servants,
10:53
who were faithful even to death.
10:56
May we who look upon this monument be thy loyal children
11:00
to our life's end. Amen.
11:04
To the honour and glory of Almighty God,
11:07
and in the hope of a joyful resurrection and reunion,
11:10
we rededicate this memorial
11:13
in memory of our brothers and sisters of the Royal Navy
11:16
and the Royal Marines,
11:18
who died for their sovereign and their country in the Great War,
11:22
in World War II and in subsequent conflicts.
11:26
Praying that we be inspired by their example of service and sacrifice.
11:32
May God grant that all who look upon it
11:35
may realise the peace of sins forgiven,
11:38
the joy of faithful service
11:40
and the power of the endless life
11:43
to which may God vouchsafe to bring us all,
11:46
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
11:51
The name of prayer.
11:53
O Eternal Lord God,
11:55
who alone rulest the raging of the sea,
11:58
who has compassed the waters with bounds until day and night come to an end,
12:03
be pleased to receive into thy almighty and most gracious protection
12:07
the persons of us thy servants,
12:10
and the fleet in which we serve.
12:13
Preserve us from the dangers of the sea and of the air
12:16
and from the violence of the enemy,
12:19
that we may be a safeguard
12:21
unto our most gracious sovereign Lord, King Charles,
12:24
and his dominions,
12:26
and a security for such as pass on the seas upon their awful occasions,
12:31
that the inhabitants of our islands and commonwealth
12:34
may in peace and quietness serve thee, our God,
12:38
and that we may return in safety to enjoy the blessings of the land
12:43
with the fruits of our labours
12:45
and with a thankful remembrance of thy mercies.
12:48
To praise and glorify thy holy name. Amen.
12:53
Finally, God grant to the living grace,
12:57
to the departed rest,
12:59
to the King, the Church, the Royal Navy, the Commonwealth,
13:03
and all humankind, peace and concord.
13:06
And to us and all his servants,
13:09
life everlasting, and the blessing of God almighty,
13:12
the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
13:16
be among you and remain with you always.
13:19
Amen.
13:22
Hooray!
13:25
Hup!
13:28
Divisions, on cups!
13:33
Hooray!
13:36
Divisions, on cups!
13:41
Hooray!
14:06
. . .
14:37
. . .
14:55
. . .
15:06
. . .
15:12
. . .
15:19
. . .
15:30
. . .
15:36
. . .
15:50
. . .
16:06
. . .
16:10
. . .
16:30
. . .
16:37
Right front.
16:52
Left, left.
Recommended
11:40
|
Up next
Ukrainian Navy are visiting Portsmouth aboard two Alkmaar-class minehunters on Thursday 17th July 2024
The News, Portsmouth
today
6:56
Two D-Day veterans "honoured" in Portsmouth 100 days before 80th anniversary
The News, Portsmouth
27/02/2024
0:52
Royal Navy memorial for HMS Royal Oak dedicated in Portsmouth
The News, Portsmouth
07/10/2024
20:12
Remembrance Sunday parade in Portsmouth Guildhall Square
The News, Portsmouth
10/11/2024
3:45
Portsmouth Naval Memorial ceremony
The News, Portsmouth
04/10/2024
13:53
Portsmouth sailors march in unison ahead of London Remembrance services
The News, Portsmouth
05/11/2024
1:59
Trafalgar Day at Nelson Monument as historic battle remembered
The News, Portsmouth
21/10/2024
8:48
Royal Navy warship HMS Duncan returning to Portsmouth for Christmas
The News, Portsmouth
08/12/2024
4:33
D-Day 80: Portsmouth unites to honour fallen Second World War soldiers
The News, Portsmouth
06/06/2024
5:55
Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth leaving Portsmouth for exercises
The News, Portsmouth
04/11/2024
5:04
Royal Navy flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth returns home after sea trials
The News, Portsmouth
13/09/2024
1:45
100-year-old veteran recalls ‘getting squiffy’ amid VE day celebrations
National World - LocalTV
08/05/2025
11:17
Royal Navy sailors at HMS Collingwood row length of Portsmouth to Dunkirk for VE Day
The News, Portsmouth
01/05/2025
5:57
HMS Prince of Wales makes triumphant return to Portsmouth
The News, Portsmouth
30/10/2024
6:21
Historic landing craft delivers first Poppies as Portsmouth appeal launches
The News, Portsmouth
24/10/2024
7:56
HMS Oardacious Valkyries to take on "World's Toughest Row"
The News, Portsmouth
26/11/2024
7:12
HMS Prince of Wales returns home to Portsmouth after Operational Sea training
The News, Portsmouth
20/09/2024
11:01
Conservation of Royal Navy flagship HMS Victory "continues at pace"
The News, Portsmouth
04/03/2025
0:36
HMS Queen Elizabeth sitting in Portsmouth
The News, Portsmouth
29/11/2024
4:02
Royal Navy warship HMS Richmond sailing past Portsmouth after brief visit
The News, Portsmouth
24/07/2024
3:44
Royal Navy warship HMS Medway returns home to Portsmouth after spending years away
The News, Portsmouth
15/08/2024
1:46
Standing With Giants D-Day silhouettes return to Portsmouth from Normandy
The News, Portsmouth
15/09/2024
2:29
Two-minute silence held across UK to mark Remembrance Day
Evening Standard
11/11/2024
5:02
Royal Navy frigate HMS Iron Duke sailing into Portsmouth from Scotland
The News, Portsmouth
11/07/2024
2:56
HNLMS FREISLAND sails into Portsmouth
The News, Portsmouth
29/11/2024