Memorial plans for HMS Royal Oak in Portsmouth are approved

Members of the council’s planning committee agreed on Wednesday (August 2) to grant planning permission for the 8ft HMS Royal Oak obelisk at The Hard, describing it as “an important part of the city’s history”.

“Many hundreds of Portsmouth residents lost their lives in the sinking,” councillor Gerald Vernon-Jackson, who while leader of the city council led efforts to secure permission for its installation on the council-owned land, said. “It’s commemorated at Scapa Flow but it’s absolutely right and proper that it’s commemorated here in Portsmouth as well.”

Contact between the HMS Royal Oak Association, which represents the descendants of the 835 people who died in the sinking due to a torpedo attack in Scapa Flow, and Cllr Vernon-Jackson began in March 2022 in an effort to build the obelisk.

There were initial concerns due to the city council’s policy restricting the erection of new memorials but the planning application was submitted earlier this year. And although an objection was made by the Portsmouth Society, which questioned the design of the obelisk and the proposed location, no concerns were raised by councillors.

FOR MORE READ: Portsmouth Society raises objection to proposed HMS Royal Oak memorial

Councillor Lee Hunt, the meeting’s chairman, said: “I’m really surprised by the comments of the Portsmouth Society – it’s a bit of an affront and unnecessary.

“Everything’s been done to make sure it’s situated in the right place with the gravitas it deserves.”

With planning permission now in place, the HMS Royal Oak Association will now begin commissioning the memorial with the aim of unveiling it at next year’s ceremony to mark the 85th anniversary of the sinking. The association holds an annual remembrance service in the city each October, originally at the Naval Memorial before moving to St Ann’s Church in the naval base where a memorial stone was unveiled by Princess Anne in 2019. But efforts have been made in recent years to build a dedicated memorial in a publicly-accessible location.

ALSO READ: Memories of Royal Navy ship HMS Royal Oak

The association’s honorary secretary Gareth Derbyshire said this would increase its prominence.

“I’m really pleased by the planning committee’s decision and the comments they made about the importance of having a public memorial in Portsmouth,” he said. “Despite the comments of the Portsmouth Society, the committee reassuringly made this quite clear and I’m glad we have their support.

“Portsmouth was the Royal Oak’s home port and so many of its crew were from the city. This is about recognising that connection – and the loss of life and the impact it had.”

He said funding was already in place to fund the memorial’s construction and that this work would start soon with the aim of being able to unveil the obelisk next year.