The group selected have never taken part in the contingent before as, each year, a new group are awarded the honour of representing the search and rescue service.
They have been selected from every area of the coastguard, including maritime, coastal, air and non-operational.
Alongside those marching at the Cenotaph, there will also be 15 members of the coastguard at the Westminster Abbey service on Sunday.
This weekend’s involvement in events follows four Coastguards paying tribute in the opening ceremony of the Field of Remembrance at Westminster event on Thursday. The memorial garden was opened this year by Queen Camilla, who took time to inspect the coastguard plot and meet Senior Coastal Operations Officer Ryan Douglas.
Hear from a few of those taking part in this year’s ceremony:
Cameron McAuley
Coastguard Rescue Officer and Officer in Charge
“Remembrance Sunday, for me, is a chance to celebrate service and self-sacrifice. As we observe the two minutes silence we are remembering those who, through their service to not only their country but their husbands, wives, children and community in times of conflict, didn’t make it home. Service is the cornerstone of the volunteers who make up the Coastguard Rescue Service and it is a privilege to serve my community each time we get called out (even at 3 in the morning in the middle of winter!).
“Representing His Majesty’s Coastguard at the Cenotaph on Remembrance Sunday is the honour of a lifetime and I hope to do my family, my community, and the Service proud.”
Carol Campbell
Team Leader at a Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre
“I am honoured to be selected to represent HM Coastguard on Remembrance Sunday 2023, following a 27-year career with HM Coastguard.
“We are an organisation with strong roots in the military. My home, the Isle of Lewis, is an island which has seen many servicemen and women, make the ultimate sacrifice, both during wartime and also notably, during the Iolaire Disaster, a maritime tragedy which devastated the island.
“It will be a privilege to attend and remember those who have gone before us.”
Redvers Stringer
Maritime Operations Officer (training)
“I feel extremely proud to represent HM coastguard, especially given the ties it has with the military in the past.
“As a retired member of the armed forces serving in the Royal Air Force, remembrance is a chance for me to reflect on my own personal experiences, but also to acknowledge those who have died or received injuries during the course of their duties. Not just military personnel, but also civilian agencies that have supported the military over the years.”
Kelly Burnett
UK Deputy Single Point of contact for the International Maritime Organization’s Instrument Implementation Code (UK DSPC IIIC)
“2023 marked 20 years of service as a British Army soldier. It is where I honed the skills necessary for my current role and grew into the person I am today.
“Remembrance Sunday is a poignant reminder of the suffering and sacrifice that took place to grant and protect the freedoms and values that matter to me. To pay tribute, where it all began in 1919, is the highest honour and privilege for an army reservist, civil servant, former Commonwealth citizen and woman.”
Nathan Cannon
Maritime Operations Officer
“My job involves initiating and co-ordinating search and rescue within the UK Search and rescue region. This includes answering 999 calls, managing distress radio traffic, tasking lifeboats and helicopters, liaising with other emergency services around the UK and the world as well as many more daily duties.
“I feel very honoured to be chosen to represent HM Coastguard at this event and feel privileged that I get to stand alongside other emergency and military services to take time to remember those who gave their lives for us.”
Rebecca Owen
Senior Coastal Operations Officer
“I am humbled to represent HM Coastguard at this year’s parade. It is a date that I mark each year, by taking part in my local remembrance parade.
“My grandfather, Arthur Jack Skelton Holman, served in the British Army during the Second World War.
“He was captured by the Japanese and was held as a POW until the war ended, he was forced to work constructing the Burma Railway. I feel it important to honour his memory.”
