• Royal Naval Association Biennial Parade held to commemorate the ultimate sacrifice made by their men

By Sangeeta Saxena

Whitehall. London. 10 September 2017. Nostalgia and pride was palpable both in the men marching in their whites and in the crowd which kept continuously cheering the ninety percent senior generation retired Naval Officers, who had congregated to remember the Naval brave-hearts who made the supreme sacrifice.

Big Ben chimed at sharp 11AM for these men and a parade which brought into all the throats was cynosure of all eyes. Parliament Street of London was live with the clockwork precision march of the veterans and tunes of the band leading them.

More than 500 personnel both Veterans and Serving were in the parade which included representatives from the many naval associations, including from Belgium and the Republic of Ireland. Trainees from HMS Sultan and HMS Collingwood along with the members of the Sea Cadet Corps brought in the today’s generation into this nostalgic ceremony.

Marching to the tunes played by the volunteer band from HMS Collingwood, most of these officers who definitely were beyond sixty years, some even more than eighty would have put youngsters to shame.The spirit was so strong that even handicaps in life did not deter the one who came on his wheel chair.

RNA National President Vice Admiral John McAnally CB LVO in an exclusive chat with Aviation & Defence Universe (ADU) informed that this year three Modern naval heroes have been honoured at the Biennial Parade. Three wheelchair accessible minibuses have been dedicated to these heroes and have been provided by the LIBOR fund. The buses will be used to assist socially isolated veterans get out and about, including going to the pub!

“The naval personnel to be honoured are late Lt Cdr Ian Molyneux George Medal RN – represented by his widow Mrs Gillian Molyneux, Chief Petty Officer Kate Nesbit – Military Cross (awarded during service in Afghanistan) and Warrant Officer (RSM) Matthew Tomlinson – Conspicuous Gallantry Cross and Military Cross (Iraq and Afghanistan) and the buses will be based in Blackburn, Liskeard and Portsmouth,” he added.

The Second Sea Lord, Vice Admiral Jonathon Woodcock OBE was the Guest of Honour and the VIP party included the Minister for the Armed Forces, Rt Hon Mike Penning MP, Flick Drummond MP, (Portsmouth South), Captain Andy Jordan ADC Royal Navy, Commanding Officer HMS Collingwood and Mrs Gillian Molyneux and her daughter Bethany, Mrs Molyneux is the widow of Lt Cdr Dean Molyneux who was killed whilst serving in HMS Astute.The gathering was welcomed by the RNA National President Vice Admiral John McAnally CB LVO.

With the exception of the Remembrance Parade, the biggest and most important ceremonial event in the RNA calendar is the Biennial Parade in Whitehall. As the name suggests, every two years, the RNA meets with its brothers and sisters of CONA (Conference of Naval Associations) to parade their Standards through Whitehall in London.

The biennial parade congregated at the Civil Service Club in Great Scotland Yard and formed-up in Whitehall Place, marching off along Whitehall with assembled bands, honour guard and serving units of the RN. The parade continued past Horse Guards Parade to the Cenotaph, where Colours were presented, prayers said, hymns sung and addresses given before marching off again with an “eyes-right” salute to top brass & VIPs. It really is an amazing event to be part of and reiterated pride for the navies of the world.