Details have emerged of the International Drumhead Ceremony, part of the T200 celebrations in Portsmouth.
Details have emerged of the International Drumhead Ceremony, taking place on 29 June as part of the celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar.
The event will take place the day after the International Fleet Review in the Solent and will be attended by the Duke of York and HRH Prince Michael of Kent.
The review, on Southsea Common in Portsmouth, is meant to provide to a chance for veterans from the UK and abroad to reflect on their lives as servicemen and to meet old shipmates and comrades.
The Drumhead Ceremony dates back centuries when soldiers on the battlefield would parade on three sides of a hollow square. On the fourth side, drummers would arrange their drums in the shape of a pyramid and drape it with regimental colours to form the church alter.
The Southsea ceremony will run from 11am to noon.
Organisers have tried to include local youngsters in the day and among a series of schemes there will be displays of artwork created in a project called Veterans in Schools.
The ceremony will feature a formal Drumhead act of worship led by the Bishop of Portsmouth, The Right Reverend Kenneth Stevenson, joined by representatives of other faiths.
The finale will include a steampast by a Royal Navy aircraft carrier and a flypast of former and modern military aircraft ranging from the Spitfire to the Sea Harrier.
A Veterans’ Centre, adjacent to the ceremony arena, will be open all day with internet facilities for former servicemen and women to trace each other.
Veterans are invited to apply as soon as possible for free tickets to the IDC and the Veterans’ Centre, by contacting the IDC Office. Tel: 02392 726625 or 02392 722134.
Further details on the IDC or any other Trafalgar 200 events can be found on the Trafalgar 200 website www.trafalgar200.com.
The ticket hotline for the International Festival of The Sea, which runs from 30 June to 3 July in the Portsmouth Naval Base is 0870 013 4030 or visit www.festivalofthesea.co.uk
