Royal Naval Association

04/11/2026

NEW RNA Christmas Cards are now on sale

Featuring the RNA logo, our Christmas cards are a simple way to send festive wishes to shipmates, friends and family while supporting the Association.

Pack of 5 cards: £6.50, Two packs: £12

Order yours from the RNA Shop: https://shop.royal-naval-association.co.uk/

04/11/2026

This Remembrance we are highlighting some of those RNA Members who are marching

Angela Ellerington served in the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) for nine years. While her service did not include major operational campaigns, it was part of a period when WRNS personnel played a vital role across the Royal Navy, supporting operations and enabling the Service to function effectively around the world.

Angela has a particularly special connection to the National Service of Remembrance. In 1987, she stood on the Cenotaph parade as part of the WRNS contingent, proudly representing the Service in uniform.

This year, she will be marching alongside her husband, who recently retired from the Royal Navy after 43 years of service. Although Angela had the opportunity to take part in the parade during her naval career, her husband never marched at the Cenotaph in uniform. Taking part together as veterans makes this year's event especially meaningful for them both.

For Angela, the march is an opportunity to reflect on a lifetime connection to naval service and to share in an important national act of remembrance. It will be a chance to honour those who served before them, remember those who made sacrifices in service to their country, and experience the occasion together as a naval family.

04/11/2026

If you are attending a Remembrance event this year and would be happy to share your photographs, we would be grateful to receive them.

Please send any pictures from remembrance services, parades, wreath-laying ceremonies or other commemorative events to [email protected], along with a few details about where they were taken.

Remembrance is a deeply personal time for many in the Royal Naval Association family. By sharing your photographs, you can help us reflect the many ways in which our members across the country come together to honour shipmates, loved ones and all those who have served.

Lest we forget.

04/11/2026

This Remembrance we are highlighting some of those RNA Members who are marching

Brian van der Bijl served in the South African Navy for 24 years, from 1971 to 1995, leaving the Service as a Chief Petty Officer (GI). Having emigrated to the United Kingdom in 2022, he now lives in Farnham, Surrey.

During his naval career, Brian served throughout the South West Africa Border War, carrying out patrols along the coastline between South West Africa and Angola. His duties included preventing insurgent infiltration via maritime routes used by Russian-aligned forces, conducting patrols along the Skeleton Coast alongside the Marine Corps, and helping to deter landings that could threaten strategic areas within South West Africa, Angola and South Africa. He was also involved in protecting key ports, harbours, oil installations and other strategic infrastructure. During these operations, he encountered Russian vessels while on patrol.

Brian particularly enjoyed his years at sea aboard the South African Navy flagship SAS President Kruger, a Type 12 frigate. He also spent time exercising with the Royal Navy and serving aboard HMS Lynx, experiences that strengthened his connection with the UK naval community. Later in his career, he served at SAS Rand in Johannesburg as a GI.

Following his move to the United Kingdom, Brian joined the Royal Naval Association branch in Aldershot, having previously been a member of the Naval Officers Association in South Africa. He now proudly serves as the branch's Standard Bearer.

A lifelong interest in military service runs in Brian's family. His late father served as a Lieutenant in the South African Air Force during the Second World War, flying Martin B-26 Marauder bombers during the African campaigns.

Brian takes part in remembrance events because he believes strongly in honouring those who fought and sacrificed during both World Wars and subsequent conflicts. For him, remembrance is about recognising the courage and commitment of those who served, and acknowledging the sacrifices that helped secure the freedoms enjoyed today.

03/11/2026

This Remembrance we are highlighting some of those RNA Members who are marching.

Ian Taylor served in the Royal Navy for just under 38 years, joining as a Junior Assistant Stores Accountant Second Class and rising through the ranks to retire as a Lieutenant Commander. He now lives just south of Glasgow.

During his long and varied career, Ian was involved in several significant operations and deployments. He served aboard HMS Antrim during the Falklands Conflict, including operations in the notoriously dangerous "Bomb Alley". He also completed two tours of Afghanistan, served in Iraq, and took part in Adriatic patrols aboard HMS Illustrious.

One of the most meaningful moments of Ian's career came during the 25th Anniversary Commemoration of the Falklands Conflict. The event provided an opportunity not only to reflect on his own experiences, but also to recognise the support and sacrifices of his parents, who had endured the uncertainty and worry of his operational deployments throughout his naval career.

Ian is marching as a time for reflection and remembrance. While he would usually attend a local service, taking part in the Cenotaph parade offers a special opportunity to honour those who served, remember those who did not return, and reflect on the experiences shared by generations of service personnel.

03/11/2026

This Remembrance we are highlighting some of those RNA Members who are marching

Joyce McEvoy joined the Women's Royal Naval Reserve (WRNR) in 1967 before transferring to the regular Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS) in 1968. Trained as a Radio Operator, she served at a number of naval establishments, including HMS Dauntless, HMS Mercury, HMS Neptune and HMS Rooke in Gibraltar.

Joyce's service took her from training and communications roles in the UK to overseas service in Gibraltar, providing her with a varied and rewarding naval career. As a member of the WRNS during a period of significant change within the Armed Forces, she played an important role in supporting Royal Navy operations through specialist communications duties.

In 1970, Joyce left the Service following her marriage. However, her connection with military service continued and, in 1980, she rejoined the WRNR. During this period, she was attached to the Royal Signals in Osnabrück, Germany, before finally leaving military service in 1982.

Today, Joyce reflects with pride on her years of service and the opportunities they provided. Her experiences across both the WRNS and WRNR represent a remarkable contribution over two separate periods of service, supporting the Royal Navy and wider Armed Forces both at home and overseas.

Women's Royal Naval Service Benevolent Trust Association of Wrens

03/11/2026

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02/11/2026

This Remembrance we are highlighting some of those RNA Members who are marching

Katheryne Jones served in the Royal Navy for six years, joining just one week after her 16th birthday. She left the Service as an Able Rate and now lives in Plymouth.

During her naval career, Katheryne served aboard HMS Somerset and was deployed during the Kosovo War, contributing to Royal Navy operations during a significant period of international military activity.

Looking back on her time in the Service, the friendships she formed remain among her most treasured memories. The bonds forged through naval life have endured long after her career ended, and she remains proud to have served alongside people she still counts among her closest friends today.

Katheryne is marching in memory of those who have fought and sacrificed for the freedoms enjoyed today, from previous generations through to those currently serving King and Country. Remembrance also holds a particularly personal significance for her family. Her husband's close friend, Lieutenant Aaron Lewis, was killed in Afghanistan in 2015, and each year they take part in the memorial service at 29 Commando Regiment Royal Artillery in his memory.

For Katheryne, marching at the Cenotaph is both an act of remembrance and a tribute to all those who have served, continue to serve, and have made the ultimate sacrifice in the service of their nation.

02/11/2026

This Remembrance we are highlighting some of those RNA Members who are marching - first on the list is Rory Reed.

Rory Reed served in the Royal Navy from 1971 to 1990, joining as a Junior Seaman Second Class and completing 19 years of service. During his career, he progressed through the ranks to become a Petty Officer, specialising as a Radio Supervisor (RS). He now lives in East Ayrshire with his family.

Rory was awarded the General Service Medal with Northern Ireland clasp for his operational service during Operation Grenada. He also had the opportunity to take part in several notable ceremonial and royal occasions. While serving on Royal Yacht es**rt duties in Italy, he was among a select group chosen to meet Her Majesty The Queen Mother. Another particularly memorable moment came while serving aboard HMS Rothesay, when he met His Royal Highness Prince Charles and Her Royal Highness Princess Diana, then the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay, during an official visit to the town of Rothesay.

Rory is marching at the Cenotaph in London in 2026 for several deeply personal reasons. Having grown up in London and joined the Royal Navy there in 1971, he has never previously had the opportunity to take part in the National Service of Remembrance on what he considers his home patch. To do so 55 years after joining the Service will be a particularly moving milestone.

More importantly, Rory sees the march as an opportunity to honour all those who made the ultimate sacrifice, those who have served, those who continue to serve, and those who will serve in the future. For him, taking part is a way of paying his respects and in his small way, expressing his gratitude for the courage, commitment, and sacrifice of generations of service personnel.