25/11/06

The annual service of rememberance was held on Saturday 25th November 2006 at Westminster Abbey, London and approximately 80 people attended including 3 Survivors, Jack Nealon, George Knott and Arthur Bryant.

After a service of Evensong in the Quire, the members of the Association assembled near the Barham candlesticks and the Standard was paraded with great dignity and solemnity by Mick Tapsell. The wreath was laid by Bob and Marian Wilson, Bob being son of Andrew Wilson who was lost in the sinking. Bob was aged 9 months old when his father died.

The service was taken by Canon Nicholas Sagovsky and a very moving Poem was read by the Rev Jeremy Bradford, son of the XO of the ship at the time of the sinking. The Poem can be found here on the website and a considerable number of the congregation were moved to tears by the reading.

The association was particularly glad to welcome Andrew Gillespie to the service. He is the man who has worked so hard on transforming the www.hmsbarham.com website and taking it to new levels during the last year. It was nice to put a face to the email.