The Memorial 'Mob'

21/10/2026

⚓ TRAFALGAR DAY | 21 OCTOBER 1805 🇬🇧

221 years ago today, one of the most famous battles in British naval history took place.

On 21 October 1805, a British fleet of 27 ships of the line, commanded by Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson, engaged a combined French and Spanish fleet of 33 ships off Cape Trafalgar, near the coast of Spain.

Before the battle, Nelson sent a signal that would become one of the most famous messages in naval history:

"England expects that every man will do his duty."

The Royal Navy secured a decisive victory, capturing or destroying 22 enemy ships without losing a single British vessel during the battle.

But victory came at a terrible cost.

Around 450 British sailors and Royal Marines were killed and more than 1,200 wounded. Among the fallen was Nelson himself, mortally wounded aboard HMS Victory.

Trafalgar helped cement Britain's naval supremacy and remains one of the defining moments in the history of the Royal Navy.

Today, we remember not only Nelson, but also the thousands of ordinary sailors and Royal Marines who fought that day. Men from Britain, Ireland and beyond, whose courage, endurance and sacrifice shaped history.

⚓ To all who served, to those who fell, and to those who continue to serve beneath the White Ensign, we remember you.

Lest We Forget. 🌺

01/10/2026

Today, 1 October, I remember the four men who lost their lives in the crash of Avro Vulcan XA897 at Heathrow Airport in 1956.

Seventy years ago, the aircraft was returning from a tour of Australia and New Zealand when it crashed while attempting to land in poor weather. Three RAF officers and an Avro civilian representative were killed.

We remember:

• Squadron Leader J. G. W. Stroud

• Squadron Leader E. J. Eames

• Squadron Leader A. E. Gamble

• Frederick Bassett, Avro technical representative

The pilot and the co-pilot survived thanks to their ejector seats.

Behind each fatality, was a life, a family and a future tragically cut short.

The Memorial Mob created a memorial for St George’s Chapel at Heathrow Airport to honour their memory. We have also visited the victims’ graves in Lincolnshire and Lancashire, paying our respects and remembering the people behind this tragedy.

On this anniversary, our thoughts are with their families, friends and all those affected by their loss. I am also thinking of the veterans who I have met subsequently who had their own connections to this tragic event and who have since marched off the parade square one final time.

Their lives and service are remembered

Lest we forget the first of the mighty Vulcans and the crew of XA897.

17/09/2026

Help Bring the Beattie Medals Home

Captain Stephen Beattie’s medals, including the Victoria Cross he was awarded for valour during WWII’s St Nazaire Raid (Operation Chariot), need a new home. This September National Maritime Museum Cornwall begins a fundraising campaign to purchase a new highly secure case so we can share his incredible story, and the story of the brave military personnel who fought alongside him.

Captain Beattie’s Story – the St Nazaire Raid

On 26 March 1942, Lieutenant Commander Stephen Halden Beattie left Falmouth with over 600 other men to undertake what is often referred to as ‘The Greatest Raid of All’, the St Nazaire Raid (Operation Chariot).

Beattie commanded HMS Campbeltown, the First World War destroyer, in a seemingly impossible mission to prevent the German pocket battleship Tirpitz from entering Atlantic shipping lanes and disrupting the vital convoy system sustaining Britain's war effort. The dock at St Nazaire was the only facility on the Atlantic coast that had a dry dock capable of servicing Tirpitz.

Beattie’s ship was transformed into a floating bomb - stripped of weight to navigate the shallow estuary, disguised to resemble a German destroyer, and laden with nearly five tons of delayed-action explosives concealed in a steel and concrete casing.

He led a small fleet of motor launches carrying over 600 military personnel along the Loire estuary. At 01:22, German searchlights illuminated the entire convoy and unleashed a maelstrom of fire. Campbeltown was hit repeatedly, but Beattie maintained his course with unwavering determination eventually driving his ship head on into the dock gate.

Beattie’s successful mission confined Tirpitz to Norwegian waters, where it could be contained by British naval forces, but the mission came at a price. Of the men who departed Falmouth two days previously, only 228 returned. 169 men were killed in action and 215 became prisoners of war, including Beattie.

Beattie remained a Prisoner of War until April 1945. He was awarded a Victoria Cross, ‘in recognition not only of his own valour but also of that of the unnamed officers and men of a very gallant ship's company, many of whom have not returned.’ He also received the French Legion d’honneur and Croix de Guerre.

Captain Beattie’s family has kindly granted permission for National Maritime Museum Cornwall to bring the medals back to Cornwall. Given their rarity and significant historical value, they must be housed in a secure, specialist display case. We now need your support to help us raise the funds to purchase the case.

How you help

National Maritime Museum Cornwall is a registered charity, and we need your help to raise the funds to buy a new highly secure case to display Captain Stephen Beattie’s medals. We have until Monday 19 October to raise £29,151.

You can help us by making a donation or by sharing details of our fundraising campaign via email and social media. You can pop up a poster in your place of work, village hall or local library, or you can tell your friends and family. Any kind of support you can give is invaluable, thank you.

10/09/2026

When we started the Ribbon of Poppies idea 9 years ago, we never thought it would "grow" into an art installation.

Thank you to all who supported our friends at The Veterans Charity (who now have guardianship of the Ribbon) in creating a stunning tribute.

Lest we forget.

19/08/2026

Hands up if you are a WWI reenactor and would like to support The Veterans Charity with a very special act of remembrance this November.

Please get in touch with their team if you would like to take part.

30/07/2026

Veterans 🇬🇧

This maybe of interest, a very special Routes of Remembrance style trip.

22/07/2026

For fans of military history...

VETERANS:

Enjoy a FREE tour of the Naseby Battlefield on Thursday 30th July thanks to Naseby Battlefield 1645!

10/07/2026

Another superb installation from the Standing with Giants team.

Bravo.

30/06/2026

"The Day Sussex Died" – 30 June 1916

Today we remember one of the darkest days in the history of the Royal Sussex Regiment.

On 30 June 1916, just one day before the Battle of the Somme began, the 11th, 12th and 13th (South Downs) Battalions of the Royal Sussex Regiment attacked German positions at the Battle of the Boar's Head near Richebourg, France.

The assault achieved little militarily but came at an appalling cost. In just a few hours, over 1,000 officers and men became casualties, with more than 350 killed. So many of those who fell came from towns and villages across Sussex that the tragedy became known as "The Day Sussex Died."

Families, workplaces, schools and entire communities across the county were forever changed by the loss of so many young men in a single action.

Today we remember their courage, their sacrifice and the communities that carried their loss for generations.

Lest We Forget.

14/06/2026

Today, we mark the anniversary of the liberation of the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands in 1982.

On 14 June 1982, after 74 days of conflict, British forces secured the liberation of the Falkland Islands, bringing an end to a campaign fought thousands of miles from home in defence of the Islanders' right to self-determination and freedom.

As we reflect on this anniversary, we remember all those who served during the Falklands War—on land, at sea, and in the air. We pay particular tribute to the 255 British service personnel, the three Falkland Islanders, and all those who lost their lives during the conflict.

We also recognise the courage, professionalism, and sacrifice of the many veterans whose actions helped secure the liberation of the islands. Their service forms an enduring part of our nation's history and a lasting testament to duty, resilience, and commitment in the face of adversity.

Today, we honour the fallen, remember the wounded, and thank all who played their part in restoring liberty to the Falkland Islands, South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands.

Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.