Branch Noticeboard

Invitation to Royal Navy Submarine Service 125th Anniversary Celebrations

Royal Navy Submarine Service
125th Anniversary Celebrations
Invitation
Dear Branch Member and Partner,
On behalf of the Royal Navy Submarine Service and the Barrow Submariners Association, we are delighted to invite you to join us in celebrating the 125th Anniversary of the Royal Navy Submarine Service.
The celebrations will take place on:
Saturday 3rd October 2026
Programme of Events
11:30am - Serving & Veteran Submariners Muster at AE1 & AE2 Memorial
12:00pm - Main Parade at the Town Hall Forecourt
12:30pm - Meet and greet in the Town Hall
1:00pm - Buffet lunch and bar, including a Submarine Art Exhibition
2:00pm - Concert by the Scarborough Sea Cadet Band
3:00pm - Meet & Greet at the Royal British Legion, Barrow
4:00pm - 8:00pm - Refreshments and entertainment at the Royal British Legion, Barrow
This occasion will provide an opportunity to celebrate 125 years of the Royal Navy Submarine Service and recognise the proud and historic connection between the Submarine Service and the town of Barrow.
We would be honoured by your attendance.
Please RSVP by 24th July 2026 and advise us of any dietary requirements or allergies when responding.
RSVP and enquiries to:
Julian Talks
Barrow-in-Furness Branch Secretary
Email: barrow.sa.secretary@gmail.com
We look forward to welcoming you to this special occasion.

Julian Talks

Posted: Tue 16th June, 2026

Town Hall Stuff

BARROW TOWN COUNCIL EVENTS WORKING GROUP
Minutes of the Town Council Events Working Group held on Wednesday 27th May 2026 at 15.00pm in Committee Room 4, Town Hall, Barrow-in-Furness. LA14 2LD.

Cllr. W McEwan - Chair Present J Lake Present
Cllr. K Hyland - Mayor Present Cllr. C Thomson Present
Cllr. C Rudd Present Cllr. D Petrova -
D Murphy - RAFA Present Cllr. M Leach Present
Flt. Lt. P Lamb - RAFA Present SGT. J Hart Apology
R Wilson - RAF - D Phillips - LANCS Present
J Talks - SA Present D Fantom -
M Kenny - DMWS Apology J Marwood -
P Hodgson - Barrow BID Apology Y Morrell - Askam Band -
A Naylor - Tall Ships Present M Coote - BAE Present
G Hillbeck Present M Griffiths Apology
D Rider - 4 Lancs Present J Benn - Sea Cadets -
V. Emms - DWP - D Phillips - LANCS Present

In attendance: Lesley Smyth (Clerk) Claire Nolan (Deputy Clerk)
The Chair welcomed all present to the meeting.
EWG/139 Apologies for absence
Received and accepted from Cllr. C Thompson, Cllr N Phillips, P Hodgson, G Hillbeck, S Griffiths, M Griffiths and Sgt J Hart

EWG/140 Declarations of Interest
None received.

EWG/141 Exclusion of Public and Press
No issues were considered for exclusion

EWG/142 Minutes of the last meeting held on 18th March 2026
Resolved:
To approve the Minutes as a correct record and authorise the Chair to sign.
Proposed by D Murphy and seconded by J Lake. All agreed.

EWG/143 Minute Action Sheet
All items will be discussed in the Agenda items below.

EWG/144 Armed Forces Week 2026
Flag Raise Saturday 20th June 2026 at Barrow Town Hall
o The Mayor and Armed Forces Champion will do a speech at the Flag Raise, as well as the Mayor presenting this years Mayor's Cadet.
o Microphone and speaker will be required. Deputy Town Clerk to liaise with D Fantom.
o P Lamb will be presenting the flag to the Mayor, and S Orr will be Parade Commander.
o Invite the 'Press' to all Armed Forces Day events

Meet & Greet 23rd, 24th, 25th June 2026 at Barrow Town Hall
o Cadets, Reserves and Veteran's will have a Meet & Greet one evening of the week from 5pm to 6.30pm. Refreshments will be provided.
o Mayor and Armed Forces Champion will be in attendance, alongside other dignitaries and charities.
o Request for approximate numbers to book refreshments.

Armed Forces Day Saturday 27th June 2026
o There will be a military parade and service at Barrow Park at 11.30am. Form up at Abbey Road gates. S Orr will be Parade Commander. Deputy Town Clerk has invited dignitaries and Cllrs, with many confirming attendance.
o There will be a parade through the town centre (Dalton Road) starting at 12.30pm at the pedestrianised area next to Wetherspoons, and finish at the outdoor market. S Orr will be Parade Commander. Following on from the military will be performers that will be entertaining the crowds in the Courtyard afterwards.
o All entertainment will be in the Courtyard afterwards from 1pm to 4pm, alongside games, military vehicles, art exhibition, Forum cafe being open.
o J Lake has chosen a list of paintings to exhibit; 14 selected of shipbuilding throughout the century. Committee Room 4 has others already displayed, and could be open on this day as well. J Lake will liaise with D Fantom, J Marwood and Dock Museum.
o Military Standards can be displayed in the Town Hall throughout the week. History of each Standard to be sent to Deputy Town Clerk to format for the display.
o No refreshments are booked for after the parade, as the Forum cafe and other establishments will be open to individuals.
o A funding application has been submitted to BAE to support the AFD events, and Cllr D Rathbone, Chair of W&F council has offered funding for refreshments.

EWG/145 Festival of the Sea 2026 on 8th and 9th August - Update (A Naylor)
It is confirmed that there will be 7 ships docked, alongside many stalls on the quayside at Morrisons.
o It is requested that the Mayor attend this event on 8th May at 10am, at the quayside, Morrisons.
o It is hoped that Veteran's will crew the Pelican of London vessel in the week leading up to the event, and dock at Barrow for the Festival.
o An application for funding has been submitted - A Naylor to check as BTC has not yet received it.

EWG/146 Civic Sunday - 30th August 2026
The civic parade will leave Barrow Town Hall on Sunday 30th August at 13.30pm and march to St Georges Church for a service.
o Barrow Police will carry out traffic management for this event - Town Clerk to confirm
o Sgt Hart has requested this point to be raised at the meeting; that parades from the Town Hall to St George's Church, are safer and more easily managed by using Church Street there and return. This route was agreed for this and future parades.
o Town Clerk has requested a Parade Commander. Responses were either Tony Eglin, Chairman of RBL Ulverston, or Ken Cannon (D Phillips to forward details to Town Clerk) who will also see availability for Remembrance Sunday.

EWG/147 Merchant Seaman's Day - Thursday 3rd October 2026
o It is preferred to host this event at Barrow Town Hall - Town Clerk to check availability of rooms.
o Light refreshments were agree - Town Clerk to book.

EWG/148 Battle of Britain - 20th September 2026 - Update (D Murphy)
o If a funding request is submitted to BTC can this be paid directly to the catering company supplying food, as the Barrow Branch RAFA has amalgamated with Morecambe Branch. D Murphy to liaise with Town Clerk.
o The parade will march from Barrow Town Hall to Barrow Park for a service and then fall out at RBL, Holker Street.
o Band has been booked and the Parade Commander will be RAF Sqn Ldr - D Murphy and Gail Hilbeck to confirm.
o An invitation has been sent to the Mayor, and it is requested that the Mayor attend the next meeting to confirm requirements of the speech for this event.

EWG/149 125th Anniversary - Submariners. Working Group update (J Talks)
o It was agreed at the meeting the previous evening that the Anniversary celebrations will be split into two separate events with the first taking place on Saturday 3rd October 2026.
o The 'Freedom of the Town' and parade will be organised for 2027, and potentially incorporate alongside Armed Forces Day celebrations in the town.
o On Saturday 3rd October there will be a military service at the AE1 & AE2 Memorial on Ramsden Square at approx. 11.15 - 11.30am.
o Those attending will then return to the Town Hall to parade outside with Scarborough Sea Cadet Band accompanying, and also perform once inside the Town Hall.
o A reception will be held in the Town Hall with light refreshments, with Cadets and Adults separate. Approx 100 attendees - J Talks to confirm.
o J Lake will exhibit some paintings of submarines at the event in the Town Hall.
o The RBL has been booked from 3pm onwards for over 18's and there will be entertainment from 16.00pm to 20.00pm.
o J Talks has the invitation to distribute, however there are some amendments, which will then be sent to the Deputy Town Clerk for distribution.

EWG/150 Remembrance Sunday 8th November 2026
This will be discussed at the next meeting.

EWG/151 Any Other Business
1. 700th Anniversary of Furness Abbey - Town Clerk has stated that a separate working group will be formed to discuss what events can take place to commemorate this. All on this Events Working Group are invited to attend if they wish to assist. Further details will be sent out by the Town Clerk.
2. Dave Day - Cllr Rudd expressed a discussion around this event, as the current organisers have stated that this will be the last one. He stated that it is good for the promotion of the town, financially for local businesses and it should be considered if BTC can support this in continuing. He requested we ask W&F council and/or Barrow BID for the financial costs to facilitate Dave Day, as current amounts mentioned is GBP100,000. Cllr Leach stated that he believed approx. 90% of the cost was the policing of roads for the motorcycles, and consideration of an event in Barrow to celebrate Dave and other successful people from Barrow.

EWG/152 Date of Next Meeting
Wednesday 8th July at 15.00pm in the Council Chamber

The Chair thanked all for attending.

The meeting closed at 16.06 pm.

Claire Nolan
Deputy Town Clerk

Posted: Tue 16th June, 2026

Volunteers required

I've been approached by the BAE Communications Manager (and Captain RNR) Mark Hankey to look for people to contribute to a SM125 book that BAE are producing.

The details are below, but we are looking for one ex-submariner of the Cold War vintage to do a Q&A/interview type piece. The suggested questions and format are in the email below.

Would you be able to see if there is a suitable volunteer from the SA members? We can cover the last 37 years from the current submariners in Barrow (yes, we can go back that far), so we are after a pre-1989 perspective. Section working title: From Cold War to Today: The Submariner's Story

Possible questions - what do you think?

Life on board:
What does/did a 'typical' day look like for you on patrol/operations?

Technology and capability:
How ha/did submarine technology changed during your time, and what difference does that make to how you operate and fight?

Living conditions and welfare:
In what ways have living conditions improved or remained challenging, and how do those conditions shape morale and teamwork?

The human factor:
What qualities define a good submariner?

Operational purpose:
From your perspective, why are submarines so critical to the UK's defence?

Pressure and responsibility:
Can you describe a moment that captures the unique pressures of submarine service, and how crews manage that responsibility?

Looking back and forward:
What do you think would surprise a submariner from the past about today's boats and operation, and what do you think hasn't changed at all?

Posted: Tue 16th June, 2026

Armed Forces Day 2026

Hello all Members,

Claire Nolan is the Deputy Town Clerk and an asset to our Branch as an Associate Member, she is working closely with Maggi and Abbi from BAE to organise the Armed Forces Day this year. We have been asked if we can contribute to the event at the Bridge, please see the details below.

Maggi has some books that have been donated/written by the Friends of the Submarine Museum.

To put it into context, The Bridge is hosting Armed Forces Covenant businesses in the Bridge from 11am on AFD Saturday 27th June. I am also asking Darren Gardner and Gemma Gardner (locals who have written military books that they are promoting) to be there and talk about their books.

I wondered if there were any Submariners Association members that may wish to be on the 'stand' to say about the book, talk to those coming into the Bridge about their military experience, etc. You could also have a donation tub to support the Submariners Assn. I thought that there may be some that did not want to, or were unable, to take part in the parade but still wanted to feel a part of AFD.

I can ask Maggi for some of the books if they wished to read through them beforehand?

If any Members are interested in contributing to this event, please contact me (Jules) and I will liaise with Claire.

Yours aye,
Julian (Jules) Talks
Barrow Branch Secretary

Posted: Wed 13th May, 2026

S/M Association Website.

Ye hear there,

The website is now live, pse use the link below to access it or search Submarinersassociation.com It will remain work in progress with additions as we move forward. Pse feel free to search, play, scrutinise, etc... there will be teething issues as with all new systems...read the PAID...lol!

https://www.submarinersassociation.com/

Pse login at the Join us page and register yourself. This allows you to select whether you want to be searched for or not. Ive already logged in.

https://www.submarinersassociation.com/join-us/

You will see a link for the shop where you can purchase the Rum & Gin, pse feel free to do so noting the requirements below and as per a previous email!

The individual must be registered as a member of the SA on the Membership Database!
Payment must be verified by the Treasurer
The Secretary will process the order via the distillery once payment has been confirmed.
Members can purchase 1 of each Rum until all bottles have been sold.
Gin can be ordered and sold as required.

Orders will be on a 1st come 1st serve basis. Once an order has been placed and paid for using your name as the reference the Treasurer will confirm receipt of payment by name of individual to me, I will then instruct the distillery to send the ordered bottles to said members.

Remembers there are 308 Gin and 256 Rum, 128 Periscope and 128 LS Reid,,,,just my opinion but I think the Rum will go very quickly.....there cannot be another Rum like this....!

The link is as per below:

https://www.submarinersassociation.com/shop/
I am on leave till 19/5 picking up emails on a sporadic basis.
Any ?'s I will get to them, with time.
Keep smiling, be happy and keep PD!
Ian 'Stickie' Leach

Secretary for SAC

Posted: Thu 30th April, 2026