Royal Navy Falklands veterans to honour comrades lost during war for Remembrance in Portsmouth

WREATHS are to be laid in Portsmouth and on the Falkland Islands for Remembrance Sunday to commemorate the lives of those who died while serving on the Royal Navy’s former Type 21 ships.

By Tom Cotterill

Published 10th Nov 2021, 16:45 BST

This article contains affiliate links. We may earn a small commission on items purchased through this article, but that does not affect our editorial judgement.

Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

The frigates were built to replace the navy’s Type 41 and Type 61 frigates and served throughout the 1980s and into the 1990s.

Eight Type 21 ships were built and all of them, bar HMS Amazon, took part in the Falklands War in 1982 as the 4th Frigate Squadron.

HMS Ardent and HMS Antelope were both lost during the conflict after being bombed by Argentine A-4 Skyhawks, sinking May 22 and May 24.

The Service on Remembrance Sunday morning held at The Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common

Picture: Malcolm Wells (133084-9966) — The Service on Remembrance Sunday morning held at The Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common Picture: Malcolm Wells (133084-9966)

The Service on Remembrance Sunday morning held at The Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common

Picture: Malcolm Wells (133084-9966) — The Service on Remembrance Sunday morning held at The Portsmouth Naval Memorial on Southsea Common Picture: Malcolm Wells (133084-9966)

Now members of the association will be placing wreaths at the Stanley War Memorial and at the Naval Memorial in Southsea to mark the loss of their comrades.

Russian spy ship spotted stalking UK carrier strike group

Wreaths will also be laid at the Cenotaph in Whitehall and the National Memorial Arboretum, as well as the the Naval War Memorial in Chatham, and at the South Atlantic 1982 Memorial in Plymouth

And for the first time, led by member Derek Ross, the Type 21 Association will have a platoon of 65 men on parade and marching past The Cenotaph in Whitehall representing the organisation at the national memorial event.

Steve Parker, PR officer for the association, said: ‘Once again, members of the association will be remembering those no longer with us on this special day. We have members in Australia, the Falklands, America and numerous other countries who will all take time to remember lost comrades on Remembrance Sunday wherever they may be.’

Sunday’s event at the Portsmouth Naval Memorial will also remember those who have died in service of their nation, in war and peace.

Association chairman Morgan Phillips said: ‘The Type 21 ships will once again be represented both nationally and internationally and I am very proud that once again our memorials at the National Memorial Arboretum will form part of the national Remembrance services.’

SEE ALSO: Police confirm age of pedestrian killed in Southsea

The full Type 21 class was made up of ships HMS Amazon, HMS Alacrity, HMS Ardent, HMS Antelope, HMS Ambuscade, HMS Avenger, HMS Arrow and HMS Active.

Veterans of the Type 21 class can still join the association by visiting the group’s website at type21club.org

Looking for the latest Royal Navy updates from Portsmouth? Join our new Royal Navy news Facebook group to keep up to date.

A message from the Editor, Mark Waldron

You can subscribe here for unlimited access to our online coverage, including Pompey, with 70 per cent fewer adverts for less than 20p a day.

Royal Navy Portsmouth Falkland Islands

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.