Royal Navy Warship launches Poppy Appeal

Sailors from the Royal Navy warship HMS Somerset have made a dramatic sign of their commitment to this year’s Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal.

These evocative aerial shots of sailors dressed in red forming symbols of the poppy on the flight deck of the type 23 frigate, signal the Royal Navy’s partnership with the Royal British Legion as this year’s national appeal is launched benefiting members of the armed forces past and present.

The Captain of Plymouth-based HMS Somerset, Commander Tim Berry, a native of Somerset County, said: “At a time when we take for granted the very things that most deserve our gratitude, as we go about the act of living, the Royal British Legion and the Poppy Appeal allow us all to reflect on the sacrifice paid to this country by the members of our Armed Forces, past and present. 

“I am immensely proud and privileged that Somerset is able to support the Poppy Appeal and encourage you all to take a moment to do the same.”

The images were taken by Lieutenant Commander Kay Burbidge, a Royal Navy observer from Leicestershire and the commanding officer of 829 Naval Air Squadron – ‘The Kingfishers’ – at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall.