By kind permission of the Commander of HMS COLLINGWOOD, the Annual Dinner will be held in the Wardroom on Thursday 12th March 2026.
The Chairman, Commodore Ian Feasey, will preside with our invited Guest of Honour being Vice Admiral Steve Moorhouse CBE, Fleet Commander.
A bottle of Warre’s ’99 port will be awarded to the ship/unit/course with the strongest attendance – currently that is PWO 168 who have 7 attending!
Some of the final details are being worked on, but the broad order of the evening is:
- 1630 – Dog Watch Instruction (Wardroom) – subject tbc
- 1800 – 1845 – Memorial Church Service (Chapel)
- 1915 – RNSWOA AGM (Wardroom)
- 2000 – Dinner (4 courses)
- 2330 – Close
Application Form (please complete)
For the last Dinner in March 2025, we were oversubscribed and had to run a reserve list. We already have 40 of the 100 places available taken so to avoid disappointment, it is advised to book and pay for your place as early as possible.
Please complete the Application Form even if you have already booked and paid for a place as we need it for the gate security and dietary requirements (just mark as already paid).
Please return the Application Form to the RNSWOA Secretary, Cdr Nigel Langhorn, secretary@rnswoa.org.uk, by Fri 7 Mar 25.
Cost
- £60 per person
- £30 for St Barbara members (supplemented by their own funds)
- You may bring up to 1 guest per member.
- Payment preferred by BACS to the RNSWOA Lloyds account – RNSWOA – 30 99 20 – 18047668.
Dress
Serving Officers – Mess undress (2Bs) with soft shirt cummerbund/black waistcoat, miniature medals, neck orders and stars, dress tailcoat and gold laced trousers are optional alternatives for Captains and above.
Retired Officers – Dinner Jacket (miniature medals, neck orders and stars).
Accommodation
Collingwood no longer provides overnight accommodation for this event due to lack of capacity. However, the following nearby hotels do provide reasonable rates if booked in advance.
- Premier Inn, Gosport
- Holiday Inn Express, Portsmouth North
- Travel Lodge, Gosport
- Royal Maritime Hotel, Portsmouth
Security
*Due to the increased international threats at present, anyone arriving in vehicles must be aware of the need and requirement for a full vehicle search before the vehicle is admitted, which can take up to 10 minutes and in inclement weather can take longer.
Access to site from Fareham Road also causes long queues for public and guests.
As a result of the above the mess have stated that arrival by taxi is the preferred method if possible or members car sharing will help the situation.
PWO End of Service Dine Out
All Warfare Officers who have successfully completed the PWO course should, if they so wish, on their retirement from the RN, be dined out of the service at the annual SWOA dinner even though they may not be members of the SWOA (or St Barbara, Portobello or Communications and Signal Officers Associations). Those who have left the service in the calendar year ending 31 Mar 25 are eligible to be dined out at this dinner. Whilst they will be treated as ‘guests’ they will pay the standard fee. The names of these officers will be promulgated in the Dinner Menu card. Please let the Secretary know if this applies to you or you know of anybody who would like to be dined out.
Seating
As ever, members will be seated with whomsoever they wish as far as possible. If you have any preferences, please annotate your booking form. In the absence of any direction, members will be sat with their qualifying course contemporaries.
Cancellations
Should it be necessary to cancel, please inform the Secretary by 2 Mar 26. Refunds for cancellations up to 10 days prior to the event will be given in full. For cancellations less than 10 days in advance of the event a refund of 50% will be given. If the cancellation is for operational service reasons a full refund will be given.
MRUs
Letters and emails sending greetings and reporting MRU are most welcome and will be read out at the dinner. Please send to the Secretary.