The Duke of Cambridge, Commodore-in-Chief Submarines, unveiled a new memorial on Wednesday 18th May at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The memorial is the first dedicated place for families, friends and shipmates to go to remember the Submariners who have lost their lives in service and also to recognise the sacrifice of the families they left behind. Almost 6,000 Submariners have lost their lives over the last 120 years since the Submarine Service was formed.
In 2020, a public competition was launched to invite ideas around what the memorial could look like, with the winning entries inspiring the final design selected by designer Paul Day.
During the visit, The Duke met the competition winners and memorial board members before walking to the memorial itself where a service will take place. As part of this, His Royal Highness said a few words and cut a ribbon with competition winners to mark the opening of the memorial.
The Duke then met members of the Submariners’ community and serving Submariners to hear about their experiences and the demanding and dauntless lifestyle that comes with their service.
