"Very poignant" memory tree near Mary Rose honours fallen Royal Navy sailors in "charming" Portsmouth ceremony
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Courageous and committed lives of fallen Royal Navy sailors were honoured with the opening of a new memorial.
Naval personnel and loved ones attended the launch of the The Heart of Oak Memory Tree in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard today (October 21). The monument has names of those who gave their lives to the force attached on leaves.
One of them is WO1 Dean Rogers, who served in the Royal Navy for 35 years and fought in the Falklands War. He died at the age of 64, but his life and selfless actions helping the Royal Navy Royal Marines Charity (RNRMC) live on. His brother, Retired Chief Petty Officer Diver Mark Rogers, said it was an excellent service and the memorial typifies what can be done when groups support a common cause.
He told The News: “It’s a necessity for them to be remembered and celebrated in any way possible. This is a superb way of doing that. By placing a leaf on a tree, it commemorates their service, sacrifice, and commitment. Heart of Oak is a very poignant design, superbly fitted out to where it stands proud next to the Mary Rose. My brother was very committed to looking after other people, their welfare, and mental health. He was a very kind and gentle person who really looked after other people first.”
The Heart of Oak Memory Tree, named after the British Naval song which symbolises the strength and courage of personnel, was designed and built by apprentices at BAE Systems. KBS Maritime and Portsmouth Historic Quarter also played a part alongside the RNRMC. Built to retain the stories of those who served through hand-cut leaves, it sites proudly near The Mary Rose museum, HMS Victory, and the Portsmouth Naval Dockyard.
The submariners poem was read aloud to the guests during the service, followed by The Last Post performed by the Royal Marines Band Service, minutes silence, and Reverie. Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse laid a memorial wreath on the tree, which has 1,200 leaves.
What the tree means to Royal Navy families
CPO Rogers said as his brother was an integral part of the RNRMC as a payroll giving manager, his wife Karen and the family decided to put the memento on the mural in his honour. The 63-year old, who served for 27 years, followed in his sibling’s footsteps to serve in the submariners, joining on a deployment aboard HMS Otter for 18 months.
“I was a bit dubious, but we ended up on the same submarine,” he added. “He was in the forend, I was in the afterend, and sometimes we’d meet in the middle for a family get together. We tried to keep it low key. As long as this tree stands, that leaf will be there. I will ensure it remains there as long as I live and perhaps when I pass. Maybe when I do pass, I hope to join Dean and have my own leaf.”
Captain Malcolm Farrow, 81, served in the RN for 38 years, alongside Alice Farrow, director at RNRMC, were honouring the memories of Captain John Farrow and Lieutenant Commander David Palmer. “The service was charming, delightful, and entirely appropriate on a splendid Trafalgar Day,” Capt Malcolm added.
“It all came together beautifully. It has a continuity for the future. Once you get out to sea, the attitudes are always there and everyone thinks of the past and the legacy they’ll have. The Navy is a big family, past, present, and future.”
Alice said: “We’ve all given a lot of background about our relatives online. If I was here, I’d spend hours looking up everyone’s stories. They both had interesting Second World Wars. My grandfather was a D-Day veteran, and the tree is a very poignant way of remembering them both.”
Fred Brett, 20, second year apprentice at BAE Systems, designed the sculpture. “The brief was very open,” he said. “It didn’t have to be a tree to begin with, but as navy sailors are said to have a heart of oak, it seemed like a logical design for it to be an oak tree.
“People from different generations all being remembered in one place is very special. I just started as an apprentice when this project began. We’re all honoured to be able to have something that will stand for many years.”
Leah Carter, 21, third year apprentice, played a vital role in the tree’s construction. “It looks incredible and to know it means so much to so many people makes it that much better,” she said. “We were approached to make it and you don’t say no to an opportunity like that. Seeing it from the sheet of metal it was, to what it’s now, is amazing to see.”