HMS Sultan sailors hold Drumhead Remembrance ceremony

Inspired Royal Navy sailors conducted a traditional ceremony to honour the fallen ahead of Remembrance weekend.

Personnel from across HMS Sultan in Gosport came together today (November 6) to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country at a Drumhead Ceremony. The short service of remembrance, which uses neatly piled drums as an altar, was held on the Parade Ground. Around 600 military personnel, civil servants and civilian contractors attended.

Captain Mark Hamilton, Commanding Officer of HMS Sultan, was among those observing the two-minute silence, which followed the Last Post sounded by Colour Sergeant M Bolton Royal Marines. He said: “The Drumhead Ceremony is an important tradition, bringing Sultan together to reflect as an act of Remembrance, reminding us of those we have lost, of their stories and sacrifice."

"The trainees laying wreaths today are among the engineers who will go on to keep the Royal Navy's ships, submarines and aircraft operating, helping to keep Britain safe at home and abroad. As they train for the future, it's imperative that we encourage them to carry on these traditions, to wear their uniforms with pride and to recognise the courage, commitment and personal sacrifice of those who have gone before us."

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This year marks 108 years since the end of the First World War. The service included the Exhortation, the reading of the Naval Service Roll of Honour and the Kohima Epitaph, and the traditional piping of the Still and the Carry On.

Wreaths were laid by Capt Hamilton on behalf of HMS Sultan, by Lieutenant Colonel Adrian Peel on behalf of all civil servants and civilian personnel, and by the youngest sailors from the Base's two engineering schools: Engineering Technician Johnson-Brayshaw from the Marine Engineering Training Group (METG) and Air Engineering Technician Talbot from the Royal Naval Air Engineering and Survival Equipment School (RNAESS).

Having the Base's newest engineers lay wreaths alongside senior officers reflected how the sacrifices of past generations inspire today's Armed Forces. Following the service, the Chaplaincy team moved the wreaths to the Falklands Memorial at HMS Sultan.

Wreath layer Engineering Technician (Marine Engineering) Oliver Johnson-Brayshaw said: "It's an amazing opportunity to honour those who have gone before us and made the greatest sacrifice, so we can have what we have today. I'm honoured to be a part of it."

On Sunday, HMS Sultan's sailors and cadets will stand alongside the wider Naval Service family, veterans and local people in acts of remembrance across the community, honouring those who have served and those who continue to serve today. They will take part in services at Gosport War Memorial, the Fleet Air Arm Memorial and the sunken garden in Lee-on-the-Solent. The cadets taking part will also include those from the HMS Sultan Royal Naval Volunteer Cadet Corps, the Gosport Division Royal Marines Volunteer Cadet Corps (RMVCC) and the Band of the RMVCC Gosport.