ROYAL NAVY MUSEUMS UNVEILS COMMUNITY-CREATED REMEMBRANCE ROOM AT NEW ROYAL MARINES EXPERIENCE AT PORTSMOUTH HISTORIC DOCKYARD
A new Remembrance Room at the new Royal Marines Experience, Portsmouth Historic Dockyard, brings together photographs and memories shared by the Royal Marines community in a lasting tribute to generations of service.
Created in partnership with members of the Royal Marines family and wider community, the room forms part of the newly opened Royal Marines Experience. The photographs displayed within it have been contributed by those connected to the Corps, creating a personal and deeply moving record of lives lived, service given and loved ones remembered.
Free to enter and designed to evolve over time the Remembrance Room provides a dedicated space within the Museum where visitors can explore the human stories behind more than 360 years of Royal Marines history.
Andy Williams a veteran who served for 24 years in the Royal Marines said:
‘The Remembrance Room in the Royal Marines Experience, provides a sanctuary, a step change from the active engagement beyond its glass portal, a place serene, quite, untroubled of distractions, with simple dignity, exhibiting the photographs of Royal Marines, across the ages, who have ‘Crossed The Bar”.
Some are heroes and are immediately recognised, some are colleagues or family, again quickly recognised by but a few, some are unrecognised, who just got on quietly with their job. Their image captured, who now find their place here, where names are not necessary, they are all linked with a tie of brotherhood, a pantheon of ‘Espirit de Corps’ that many will fail to understand, but looking at those photographs, spanning 200 years, you may just see it.
It gives the visitor a place and time to confront the past on a more personal level, to see the magnitude of absence, contemplate the sacrifice, sombre, thoughtful, wondering what their stories were, and reflect on those who gave so much for others. The visit is not complete without experiencing the final link in the story of the Royal Marines.’
Matthew Sheldon, CEO, Royal Navy Museums, said:
‘The Royal Marines Experience shares the stories of the people behind the Corps. The Remembrance Room adds a unique and personal dimension to that story, bringing together photographs and memories contributed by the Royal Marines community itself. We hope it will become a meaningful place for visitors and an enduring tribute to those who have served. We want it to reflect the sacrifices of many kinds that Royal Marines make, as we tell our visitors.
The life of a Royal Marine is a quiet covenant with determination, courage, and sacrifice. From the first day of training, every recruit learns that the Green Beret is not given, it is earned through an unshakable will. It means birthdays missed, children’s first steps unseen, and long nights where danger is constant and comfort is rare. It is in the quiet goodbyes before deployment, the unspoken fears, and the unselfish return to duty no matter the cost. The sacrifice is not just in what is given, but also in what is given up.’
Former Royal Marines recently gathered in the room as Royal Marines Bugler Adam Saunders sounded the Last Post, surrounded by the faces of those who served including those who lost their lives service.
As a community-led space, the Remembrance Room will continue to grow through future contributions, ensuring new stories and memories can be shared for generations to come.
With grateful thanks to The National Lottery Heritage Fund and National Lottery players, whose support helped make the Royal Marines Experience possible.
The Remembrance Room is free to enter. Admission to Royal Marines Experience is part of Portsmouth Historic Dockyard’s Ultimate Experience Ticket.