The Heritage Buddy

​It’s been 85 years… (yep, pun intended)! Today I knew I needed to write a blog post, as well as make some art of this fine ship’s crest, using a mix of watercolours and Indian ink on this boiling hot day.  With Following Winds is the English translation from HMS Hood's Latin motto: Ventis Secundis.  85 years ago today, the Royal Navy lost their dear ship, HMS Hood. Launched on 22nd August 1918 at John Brown and Co shipyard on the Clyde by Lady Hood, the widow of Admiral Sir Horace Hood who died at the Battle of Jutland in 1918 and commissioned in 1920.  Source: HMS Hood Association  Was this Admiral-class battlecruiser named after Horace Hood?  No, she was actually named after First Viscount Samuel Hood - another notable naval officer.  Read more about Samuel Hood here.  However, Horace Hood may have inspired the name.  On 24th May 1941, HMS Hood was sunk by the German battleship KMS Bismarck; the Bismarck shot a shell that landed a direct hit on...

 Happy New Year!  2025 has had its ups and downs for me, but I have made so many memories big and small. There is some separate content for some of them (with the link I will list below) and the others I haven't written about, I'll provide a small paragraph as it is about lots of little things.  Rather than chronological order which is relatively easy, I am going to provide my Top 10 moments of 2025:  10 - Joining HMS Belfast Association  Being an ex-activity facilitating volunteer hoping to return; I joined  HMS Belfast Association as a volunteer. It is mainly for the ship’s veterans and their families, but anyone with a connection to the ship can join as an associate member.  I hope to learn more about the dear queen of the town-class light cruisers, as well as her animal mascots, particularly Frankenstein, which I have big plans for a special project! Watch this space for more! 😉 9 - Nautical sing-along Not quite like Falmouth Sea Shanty Festival ...

It's a big year for Trafalgar Day - 2025 marks 220 years since this epic moment in naval history. You’re probably wondering: what does HMS Belfast have to do with Trafalgar Day? The straight answer is, there is no direct connection between her and HMS Victory, which despite being a museum ship (which is what they have in common) in Lord Nelson’s memory and being permanently dry docked, is still in commission with the Royal Navy for over 200 years. 21st October 1805 The Royal Navy, commanded by Vice Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson aboard his flagship, HMS Victory, literally broke the mighty line made up of the combined fleet of the French and Spanish navies. This was the Royal Navy’s greatest achievement in history, but sadly as King George III claimed, we had lost more than we had gained; although a great victory had been won, the story includes the tragic loss of Lord Nelson, after being shot by a French sniper. 21st October is a special occasion for the Royal Navy because that day, i...

I stepped out of Portsmouth Harbour train station one freezing cold Saturday afternoon in January this year. I was slowly making my way to my hotel and stopped to admire how beautiful HMS Warrior looked against the winter sunset over the harbour, so I sat down on a bench to bring myself out of anxiety about getting lost, shutting down or dissociating and losing awareness of my surroundings and into the present. After a moment, I noticed an obelisk with HMS Royal Oak inscribed on it; I quickly learnt it was a memorial commemorating the 85th anniversary of the sinking of HMS Royal Oak. I knew I had to take some photos for some volunteering. (This memorial will be discussed in a future post - watch this space!) 😀 The reason I was visiting Portsmouth was because I am a board member at the National Museum of the Royal Navy and our board was encouraged to visit for branding reasons. After spending a couple of hours chilling in my hotel room by video-calling family to let them know ...