FAQs

Every year, we receive generous donations in memory of those who have died and who served or supported our Royal Navy family. Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity wanted to create a lasting memorial, a place for families to visit and reflect.

Rich in naval history and open to the public - Portsmouth Historic Dockyard is the perfect home for the memorial.

BAE Systems, a proud supporter, offered to design and build the memorial, and held a competition for their engineering apprentices.

The winner of the competition at BAE Systems envisioned an oak tree - a fitting tribute to the official march of the Royal Navy, "Heart of Oak."

Each metal oak leaf is engraved with a personal message and name of a loved one connected to the Royal Navy.

The Heart of Oak Memory Tree will stand proudly beside HMS Victory and the Mary Rose — two iconic vessels woven into the very fabric of Britain's rich naval heritage.

We kindly ask for a suggested donation of £20 per month for a minimum of 12 months or an annual donation of £240 to support our Royal Navy family. As a thank you we will place a leaf in memory on the Memory Tree.

Installed by another generous corporate supporter, KBS Maritime, in September 2025, the Memory Tree will be unveiled and ready to be viewed by the public on Trafalgar Day - 21 Oct 2025.

The Heart of Oak Memory Tree was created by three talented BAE Systems' engineering apprentices, combining expert craftsmanship with a deep respect for naval tradition.

The Heart of Oak Memory Tree has six sections - Bravery, Compassion, Courage, Honour, Loyalty and Respect.

These are based on various values including some of the values of the Royal Navy and Royal Marines. We encourage supporters to choose a value which most closely represents their loved one.

The Heart of Oak Memory Tree will be unveiled in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard on 21 October 2025. Portsmouth Historic Dockyard offers a fascinating glimpse into 500 years of naval history, showcasing iconic ships like HMS Victory, HMS Warrior, and the Mary Rose. The site is part of a working naval base and includes the National Museum of the Royal Navy.

Portsmouth is the home of the Royal Navy so it is fitting the Heart of Oak Memory Tree is located there. We also have a virtual Memory Tree at www.heartofoak.org.uk which supporters can view online from anywhere in the world which includes Memory Pages of people commemorated on the Memory Tree.

There is space for 3 lines of text on the memory leaf.

• Maximum 23 characters on the first line including spaces
• Maximum 23 characters on the second / middle line including spaces (This line should be the name of the person we are creating a leaf in memory of)
• Maximum 18 characters on the third line including spaces

You don't need to use all the lines, characters or spaces. The middle line must be the name of the person you are commemorating.

Yes, you can create more than one memory leaf. We have a suggested donation of £20 per month - for a minimum of 12 months - or £240 a year for each leaf. However, you will need a different email address for each leaf you create.

Each memory leaf holds a life remembered. We ask for each leaf to be for one person please.

Please contact fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk when you have donated and submitted the text you would like on the memory leaves. Please advise the names of the people you are commemorating, that you would like them to be next to each other and on which section. We will do our best to fulfil your wishes subject to availability.

You can create a memory leaf to honour anyone connected to the Royal Navy, Royal Marines or Royal Fleet Auxiliary. The memorial will honour people from the Royal Navy community who are no longer with us, whether they died in action, during service, as a veteran, a family member, or individuals who supported the Royal Navy in other ways, such as through charitable work.

We will not accept any offensive words or phrases and reserve the right to refuse to create a memory leaf if we do not feel the submission has been made within the spirit of this memorial. We will not accept fictional names or anything defamatory or something submitted for political or campaigning purposes. We will not accept anything which would harm the reputation of the Royal Navy & Royal Marines Charity or our partners.

We cannot include more than the character count specified:

• Maximum 23 characters on the first line including spaces
• Maximum 23 characters on the second / middle line including spaces (This line should be the name of the person we are creating a leaf in memory of)
• Maximum 18 characters on the third line including spaces

All names need to be on the middle line of the leaf - titles, ranks and suffixes can appear on any line.

If you have any queries please contact fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk or call 02393 871532 (9am-4pm Monday-Friday excluding Bank Holidays).

Visit www.heartofoak.org.uk and type in the name of your loved one. That will take you to their virtual Memory Leaf and will advise which section of the Heart of Oak Memory Tree your loved one's leaf is on and if the leaf has been added. Please note it can take up to 8 weeks for a leaf to be added to the Memory Tree in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. Your leaf's status will change on the Memory Page from 'In production' to 'Installed' when your leaf has been added to the Memory Tree.

The Heart of Oak Memory Tree is a space to remember and honour those who have died. The memorial will honour people from the Royal Navy community who are no longer with us - whether they died in action, during service, as a veteran, a family member, or individuals who supported the Royal Navy in other ways, such as through charitable work.

It will take up to 8 weeks to add your memory leaf to the Heart of Oak Memory Tree. We will notify you as soon as it's in place. Your leaf's status on the Memory Page will change from 'In production' to 'Installed' when your leaf has been added.

You have the opportunity to review the text on the memory leaf before submitting it. Once your leaf has been created you will be able to find it on the virtual Memory Tree. And see the leaf when it is installed on the Heart of Oak Memory Tree. We will notify you as soon as it's in place. Your leaf's status shown on the Memory Page will change from 'In production' to 'Installed' when your leaf has been added.

Your memory leaf will remain on the Heart of Oak Memory Tree as a thank you for your monthly or annual donation - suggested donation of £20 a month for a minimum of 12 months or an annual gift of £240. If you stop your donation your leaf will be removed from the Memory Tree. We understand some families will want the leaf on the Memory Tree for a shorter time than others who may want this for many years.

If you have any queries please contact fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk or call 02393 87153 (9am-4pm Monday-Friday excluding Bank Holidays).

When making your donation and submitting your inscription, you can choose which section of the Heart of Oak Memory Tree you would like your memory leaf to be placed in, provided there is space available.

You can find a memory leaf by visiting www.heartofoak.org.uk, or by scanning the QR code located at the Memory Tree. Simply go to 'Find a leaf', enter the name of the honouree, and click or tap on their name in the results list to see details of the leaf's status and location. Please note that it takes up to 8 weeks from the date of donating for us to place a leaf on the Memory Tree, so please check that the leaf's status is set to 'Installed' before visiting.

If you want to change your memory leaf inscription, please get in touch with us as soon as possible after you've made your donation and advised what you would like engraved on the leaf - ideally within 3 working days - by emailing fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk or call 02393 87153 (9am-4pm Monday-Friday excluding Bank Holidays).

We check all leaf inscriptions before they go to the engraver. If we notice any potential issues with the content, we will be in touch.

The virtual Memory Tree can be viewed online from anywhere in the world and includes all the names of the people currently commemorated on the Heart of Oak Memory Tree.

Each memory leaf has a Memory Page where families can add up to 3 digital photos of their loved one as well as stories or messages (no more than 350 words). You can also view the leaf inscription on the Memory Page.

You can update the digital photos and wording on your Memory Page. We are unable to change the memory leaf inscription once the leaf is created. Any queries please contact fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk

If you notice an error after you have submitted your leaf inscription, please contact our team as soon as possible by emailing fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk - please include the name of the person you are commemorating on the Heart of Oak Memory Tree.

Memory pages usually appear online shortly after submission, but there may be a short processing period to ensure everything is accurate and appropriate.

Any issues please email fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk - please include the name of the person you are commemorating on the Memory Tree.

Yes you can, by using the links provided on the Memory Page.

Your commemoration will remain on the physical Heart of Oak Memory Tree and virtual Memory Tree as a thank you for your monthly or annual donation. We have a suggested donation of £20 per month - for a minimum of 12 months - or £240 a year. Once you cancel your monthly or annual donation we will remove the leaf from the physical and virtual Memory Trees.

You can edit your Memory Page using the link in your confirmation email, or the one at the bottom of your Memory Page.

You can add up to 3 digital photos to your Memory Page (.png or .jpg files below 4MB in size) plus a biography or dedication of up to 350 words.

We check all Memory Page information - both images and copy - to ensure everything is suitable for online publication. If we find anything that doesn't comply with our Terms and Conditions, we reserve the right to either amend or remove it. Please get in touch if you'd like to discuss the information that was changed or removed from your online memory leaf by emailing fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk

Yes, all donations will be used to help the serving, veterans and families of the Royal Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary. Please visit RNRMC's Stories | The Royal Navy and Royal Marines Charity to learn more about how we support the tremendous Royal Navy community.

If you donated by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, your first payment will be taken immediately. If you set up a Direct Debit, it may take up to 7 days for the first payment to clear.

You will receive a thank you and acknowledgement email once you have created your memory leaf and set up a regular donation. Please check your spam folder in case it ends up there. If you don't receive this email please contact fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk

We will post you a Heart of Oak Memory Tree Thank You Pack which will include information about your donation as well as how to visit the Memory Tree at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard.

As a thank you for your monthly or annual gift we will create and place your memory leaf on the Memory Tree in Portsmouth Historic Dockyard. We have a suggested donation of £20 per month - for a minimum of 12 months - or £240 a year. We will also create an online Memory Page commemorating your loved one which will include their leaf inscription.

Once you cancel your monthly or annual donation we will remove the memory leaf from the physical and virtual Memory Trees.

We will send you regular updates on how your support is making a difference to our Royal Navy community.

If you'd like to amend or cancel your regular donation, please get in touch with us at fundraising@rnrmc.org.uk or call 02393 87153.

The Heart of Oak Memory Tree has two purposes - giving people the opportunity to commemorate loved ones - and raising vital funds to support our tremendous Royal Navy community.

Your memory leaf will remain on the Heart of Oak Memory Tree as a thank you for your monthly or annual donation. If you stop your donation your leaf will be removed from the Memory Tree. We understand some families will want the leaf on the Memory Tree for a shorter time than others who may want this for many years.