HMS Royal Oak Association announces date of annual service of remembrance

The commemoration event honours the 835 people who died when the Portsmouth-based battleship sank in the early stages of the Second World War.The service will begin at 11am and will be held at St Barbara’s Church, HMS Excellent, Whale Island.Entry requires prior registration and this can be done by emailing the association at [email protected] association is hoping to unveil a new monument at The Hard in time for the 2024 service which will mark the 85th anniversary of the sinking.Planning permission was granted by the city council in August for the 8ft obelisk and the association has now begun the process of commissioning its creation.The service of remembrance originally took place at the Naval Memorial before moving to the naval base where a memorial stone was unveiled by Princess Anne in 2019.