SOUTHAMPTON City Council will celebrate the 40th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War this June.
A memorial service will be held next week at Holyrood Church to honor members of the Merchant Navy who lost their lives at sea.
Service will begin at 11 a.m. Tuesday, June 14 with an 18 (B) Squadron Chinook helicopter, RAF Odiham, flying over the church weather permitting.
The Southampton service will be led by the Rev. Debbie Sellin, Bishop of Southampton, and the Rev. John Attenborough.
Councilor Satvir Kaur, Southampton City Council leader, said: “Southampton played a key role in supporting the working group during the Falklands conflict and many residents will have played a role or will have friends or family who they did.
“It is so important that we celebrate the anniversary so that we can continue to educate future generations, thanking many for their service and honoring those who gave their lives with courage.”
A contingent of the 17th RLC Port and Maritime Regiment, who have previously been awarded the Freedom of the City, will be present at the service alongside veterans.
They will lead a parade through the city once the service is over.
The parade will start at Holyrood Church and go up High Street, across the Bargate before heading north to Above Bar and ending at Guildhall Square.
Public access to the inside of the church will be limited. However, members of the public are welcome to gather around the church.
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Meanwhile, a specially curated display of the QE2 and Canberra ships, which were converted for use as troop carriers, is also on display at the SeaCity Museum.
The exhibition also includes six paintings related to the conflict of the former president of the Society of Marine Artists, David Cobb.
The paintings were donated to the City Council’s Maritime and Local History Collection in memory of Commander David Joel RN, who was a naval liaison officer in Southampton during the Falklands War.
The paintings were owned by Joel and donated by his wife after his death.
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