Forest bumps: HMS Sherwood celebrates 75th birthday in style in Nottingham

Naval reservists in the East Midlands celebrated a milestone anniversary in the iconic Council House, marking a three-quarters-of-a-century connection with the city of Robin Hood and commitment to public service.

Those who volunteer at HMS Sherwood invited civic, public and industry leaders from across five counties, as well as families, former personnel to join them for an evening’s celebration in the Council House.

Nottingham’s leaders allowed the façade of the neo-baroque building, which dominates the city’s main Market Square, with celebratory naval banners, with displays of kit (including a 20mm cannon) catching the eye of passers-by… including a Robin Hood enactor.

Inside in the building’s ballroom, there was a mix of Naval ceremony (mess beating from the RM Corps of Drums, Ceremonial Sunset) and local with a jazz quartet performing alongside Our Dementia Choir, which was established by Line of Duty star Vicky McClure to help tackle the condition.

Commander Alexandra Brooks, Sherwood’s Commanding Officer, said the unit could look back with pride on the service and sacrifice of hundreds of personnel who had served all around the globe and on every major operation in recent Royal Navy history: conflicts in the Falklands, Gulf and Afghanistan, security missions such as protecting the Olympics in 2012, helping out with the response to the Covid pandemic and disaster relief work in the Caribbean.

“From low-key beginnings, the Navy Reserves in the East Midland have grown and evolved. We’ve become a symbol of resilience, dedication and service.

“Throughout we’ve enjoyed wonderful support from our families and from the East Midlands community, who stand by us daily and offer us unwavering support.

“Our 75th birthday allows us to say thank-you to everyone who has been involved with HMS Sherwood in its different guises and locations. Thanks to them we have a proud past. Thanks to today’s generation we have a future filled with promise.”

The history of Naval Reserves in Nottingham/East Midlands can be traced back to March 1949 and the lounge bar of the (now-long-demolished) Black Boy Hotel when sailors discussed setting up a local branch of the Royal Naval Volunteer (Wireless) Reserve.

That was established the following year, initially meeting in the homes of senior ratings where reservists huddled around radio sets every week to listen to Morse code traffic either with ships or sent from the unit in Birmingham.

The unit found a more permanent home later in 1950 in High Pavement in Nottingham’s historic Lace Market district, then on the first floor of the RN’s recruiting office in Carrington Street.

Only in 1984 did the unit become HMS Sherwood – the name was chosen ahead of Trent due to connections between the city and the WW2 destroyer of the same name - when it moved to the suburbs.

It stayed in the Beechdale district for 30 years before co-locating with other reservist units serving the East Midlands, including the local Royal Marines Reserves (part of RMR Merseyside), at its current home in Chilwell.

Pictures: Tracey Whitefoot / www.whitefootphotography.com