Royal Navy represent the Royal Naval Division at the Passchendaele 100 commemorations

Members of the Royal Navy proudly represented the Royal Naval Division at the commemoration of the centenary of the Battle of Passchendaele at the Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium.

The Royal Navy was represented by the modern day equivalents of the branches who served at the battle.  

Maritime Reservists represented the Royal Naval Division (RND) and the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, the Royal Navy Medical Service represented the Royal Navy Field Ambulance (which served as part of the RND) and Fleet Air Arm represented the Royal Navy Air Service.

The Royal Naval Division included a significant proportion of Royal Naval Reservists who fought with distinction in many of the WW1 land campaigns.

During the service serving Armed Forces personnel sat side by side the families who had lost loved ones during the war.

Touching tributes were paid to the fallen and their stories brought to life during the ceremony.

After the service, Colonel Jeff Moulton, Deputy Commander Maritime Reserves and a Royal Marine, was approached by the family of Private Harold Thomson, a 19 year old Royal Marine who was sent to the front line to fight with the Royal Marine Light Infantry, and asked if he could lay a wreath in memory of their Great Uncle. 

Neil Trinder and his sister Karen Dewdney, an ex-Wren from Birmingham, had travelled all the way to Belgium to pay their respects to their Uncle Harold, who they had never met but held a strong place in their hearts. 

Killed on 26 October 1917, he was one of the 500,000 soldiers who lost their lives in the notorious battle.