Royal Navy prepares for Remembrance ceremony at Cenotaph

Sailors and Royal Marines have been conducting drill training in Portsmouth in preparation for this Sunday's National Service of Remembrance.

The individuals taking part in the ceremony at the Cenotaph in London have been selected from across the country and from different units within the Naval Service. 

They have been training hard at HMS Excellent and, for many at the start of their careers, this will be their first experience taking part in a major ceremonial event.

All training for the service is overseen by Warrant Officer 1^st Class Eddie Wearing, the Royal Navy’s state Ceremonial Training Officer, and his team of instructors based at HMS Collingwood in Fareham.

WO Wearing said: “My role as the State Ceremonial Training Officer is to make sure that everybody from the naval contingent are fit for parade.

"Coming from a large military family, Remembrance weekend means I can play my part in representing all those military personnel that served before me, who made the ultimate sacrifice ensuring the Royal Navy upholds all the standards and traditions we all hold so dearly.”

Taking part in the Remembrance ceremony is seen as a great honour among those who have been selected. It requires commitment to their drill training every day as well as the time and effort that goes into kit preparation.

For those taking part, marching past the Cenotaph on Sunday will be the final event of the weekend. They will also have a role to play in the Festival of Remembrance at the Royal Albert Hall, and the Lord Mayor’s Parade on Saturday.

As recognition for the commitment and determination that everyone has put into making this parade success, they have been awarded a commemorative coin to mark this occasion.

Major Sam Hughes, of 45 Commando, said: “The emotions here in Portsmouth will be just as strong as they will be in London, but the difference is that the eyes of the nation are on you.

“We've done a lot of preparation drills to make sure we remember them with a flawless parade. I did two tours of Afghanistan and lost some blokes while I was out there, so I’ll be remembering them as well as those who gave their lives in previous conflicts.”