Following the tragic murder of Lt Cdr Ian Molyneux GM RN, in April 2011 a group of individuals which has since become known as We Remember Submariners (WRS), was initially formed with the main objective of providing a wreath for Ian's funeral. Amazingly, over 200 submariners heeded the call immediately and joined together via Social media and contributed to this quest.
Led by John Bradbury the group has now grown to over 1700 Annually subscribing members in 2026 and the charity undertakes sales of around 8000 memorial pins each year. These annual Remembrance pins are designed and created yearly and commemorate and remember those submariners who have Crossed The Bar in the previous year, but also commemorate the loss of submarines lost 100 years ago to the year. For example, the 2014 - 2018 pins showed the number of Submarines lost during the First World War (1914–1918) and depicted the number of submariners that crossed the bar in the previous years (2013-2017). Additionally other events may be captured within the pins design depending on the event.
Charity Registration
Due to its success and popularity within the submarine community, the organisation had to move from its humble origins as a Facebook page, to become a Registered Charity. To maintain its connection with its members and the wider general public the charity maintains its Facebook presence in two domains. One page is dedicated to the the wider community reporting (and have the families permission to notify) of CTB submariners (We Remembers Submariners) and a second page for the release of general information and forthcoming events about the charity (Friends of We Remember Submariners).
The change from a "Group" to a registered charity required the Charity to create and maintain a Board of Trustees, the group who now manage the Charity to this day under the rules set by the Charity Commission.
John Bradbury as the initial instigator of the Group assumed the position of Founder, and Gill Molyneux accepted the position of Patron on reaching Charity status on 22nd December 2017.
Our Aims
The Aims of WRS are, once we have been informed of a CTB or a Request for Assistance, to:
- Provide a wreath and condolence card for any serving or retired submariner that Cross The Bar along with 'Moly' pins to the immediate relatives.
- Provide wreaths for submarine memorial ceremonies such as The National Submariners Memorial Service.
- Provide assistance to submariners that have been identified as having fallen on hard times.
These aims are funded by the sale of an annual memorial pin, donations from members of the public and from grants which may be available at times from organisations such as the RNRMC. We Remember Submariners have supported past, Present and Future submariners in a variety of ways, such as:
- Providing a motorised scooter for a retired submariner that struggles severely with mobility.
- Three crews to partake in the prestigious Brickwoods Field Gun Competition.
- For more information on who we have supported and how can we support you, please visit the donations section of the website.