Torquay marks 80th anniversary of Royal Naval Association with special ceremony

An oak sapling was planted on Kings Drive in Torquay on Sunday to mark the 80th anniversary of the foundation of The Royal Naval Association in the bay area.

The mayor, councillor Barbara Lewis, had the honour of placing the soil on the delicate roots of the tree, which certainly did not need watering.

The weather was set against the crowd of naval cadets, association members and special guests, with the chairman of the group, Terry Membery conducting the service.

“I noticed that it was 80 years since the association was formed,” said Terry after the ceremony was over.

“Although we have only around 35 members locally there are something like 50 clubs throughout the country bringing together all those you have served in the senior service. It was great to see an English oak being planted.

"The weather could have been better but I have been in worse… passing around The Cape comes to mind,” he said.

Terry served 35 years.

“Most of my time was at sea as I was an engineer, I got on with the job unlike those ‘pen pushing’ land lubbers,” he said with a grin.

“It was a wonderful career and now I steer the association with a monthly meeting and special events throughout the year which in April will see our regular commemoration of Torquay-born Lieutenant Commander Arthur Harrison VC. We maintain his memorial at Roundham Head.”

Arthur Harrison was commander of the naval storming parties from HMS Vindictive when landing at Zeebrugge in 1918 to stop the Belgium port being used as a launching base for submarines. He was hit by shrapnel and suffered a broken jaw before he even landed.

Despite being severely wounded, he recovered consciousness and led his men in a charge against heavy machine-gun fire to silence the German guns. He was killed at the head of his men, nearly all of whom were also killed or wounded in the action. His body was never recovered.

“He had a great rugby career in the navy, being capped twice and is still the only England rugby union international to have been awarded the Victoria Cross,” said Terry. “His medal is at the Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth. We unveiled the memorial on April 23, 2000, exactly 82 years after the raid.”

Lieutenant Kersten Bourne of the Torbay Sea Cadets was on duty with some 15 members forming a guard of honour.

Lieutenant Kersten Bourne of the Torbay Sea Cadets 

“We have very close links with the association and they support us both morally and financially. It was lovely to be here to witness the planting of the sapling.

"We are very much a part of the Royal Navy family. You will see us support Remembrance Day and other military parades. Being a part of the cadets will give them a head start if they want to join the navy, but no pressure.

"We like to provide an element of adventure with a nautical theme, they get a maritime experience, stay on naval bases and have fun, which is the main objective, but today was serious and a great honour to be involved.”