Royal Navy's submariners gather to remember at annual Silent Service ceremonies

Serving and veteran Royal Navy submariners gathered in London at the weekend for the annual Submariner Remembrance Service.

Hundreds of members of the Silent Service attended events at Westminster Abbey and the Middle Temple Gardens – paying their respects to those submariners who have gone on "eternal patrol".

The service, held the week before the nation's main Remembrance events to allow submariners to attend both, was first held in 1923, following the establishment of the National Submarine War Memorial.

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Submariners visited the Submarine Service Poppy Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey on Saturday before moving to the Combined Services Memorial in the West Cloisters for a wreath-laying ceremony.

The main Remembrance event was on Sunday at Middle Temple Gardens.

It was attended by members of the Submariners Association, current submariners, and Commodore of the Submarine Service, Commodore Paul Dunn OBE who called the annual Submariner Remembrance Service "an incredibly poignant and special occasion for all members of the Silent Service".

He went on: "Generations of submariners and their families have made tremendous sacrifices to help protect our country.

"They have been, and still are, separated from one another during deployments for weeks at a time with very little contact and we are grateful for their continued support.

"Some, however, have made the ultimate sacrifice and that is why we are here today.

"The Submarine Family remembers them and will continue to do so into the future. They will never be forgotten."

Reverend Professor Stephen Dray Esq led the service at Middle Temple Gardens which was attended by the Admiral of the Fleet Lord Boyce KG GCB OBE DL, and Rear Admiral Niall Kilgour CB, President of the Submariners Association, who both laid wreaths.

Known as the Silent Service, the Submarine Service's motto is: "We Come Unseen", highlighting the qualities of stealth, endurance, and flexibility that allow Royal Navy submarines the freedom to patrol the oceans.

Modern-day submarines are based at and operated from HM Naval Base Clyde in Scotland, the home of the UK Submarine Service.