Link approved between Oxfordshire and HMS Diamond
The new link between the county of Oxfordshire with the Royal Navy ship HMS Diamond has been sealed at a special ceremony at Blenheim Palace.
The event took place on Tuesday, 25 February with senior naval officers, including past commanders of HMS Diamond and Lady Suzie Johns, Lady Sponsor for HMS Diamond present. They were joined by civic and military representatives from across Oxfordshire including the Lord-Lieutenant Marjorie Glasgow and Oxfordshire County Council leader Cllr Liz Leffman.
At the same event there was a re-signing of the Oxfordshire Armed Forces Covenant.
Talks took place in 2024 between Oxfordshire County Council, the Lord Lieutenant and the Royal Navy about the possibility of an affiliation. Such connections have been common throughout the history of the navy and many current ships already have links with places in the UK.
HMS Diamond is a Type 45 destroyer with a crew of 240 sailors including a Royal Marines boarding team. The ship's motto, "Honor Clarissima Gemma," translates to "Honour is the Brightest Jewel.
Beyond her primary role in air defence, HMS Diamond is versatile and capable of performing a wide range of duties, from counter-narcotics operations to providing humanitarian aid. Her most recent operations involved protecting merchant shipping lanes from Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.
Councillor Liz Leffman, Leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: “It was a pleasure to see this new bond sealed. It strengthens the link between the Royal Navy and our local communities and reaffirms the council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and our significant armed forces communities. The county already plays host to Naval cadet units.”
All major Royal Navy ships have affiliations as part of a long-standing tradition that binds their crews to the land through a network of relationships across the United Kingdom.
The range of organisations and establishments that are invited to become part of a ship’s extended family can encompass cities, hospital trusts, cadet units, army regiments and air force squadrons, as well as venerable city institutions and counties. The benefits of affiliation are mutual. An affiliation gives the ship and the ship’s company a link to the organisation.
HMS Diamond has an existing affiliation with Coventry. Other current examples include Essex which recently affiliated with HMS Venturer, and the town of Wantage, which has an affiliation with HMS Queen Elizabeth.
* Picture credit: David Fisher