On Monday, The Royal British Legion and Dorset Council will come together to honour the people of Dorset who were conscripted to serve under National Service.
The event at County Hall, which is open to the public, will mark their contribution and time in the Armed Forces, by unveiling a new plaque.
Veterans who still remember National Service will be at the ceremony. They will also remember the 395 men who sadly died and never got to return home.
The scheme was finally abolished more than sixty years ago in 1963.
Important guests will be attending the ceremony, including representatives of the Lord-Lieutenant, the High Sheriff of Dorset, the Chair of Dorset Council, and the Mayor and Mayoress of Dorchester. Members of the Royal British Legion, the Armed Forces, and other groups will also be there.
The Chair of Dorset Council will begin the event with a welcome speech. Mr Grant Parrott, of the Royal British Legion Dorset County Committee, will then read a short history of National Service.
A special guest, Mr Michael Homer, who is a member of the National Service Veterans’ Alliance, will share what life was like for him.
There will also be a reading of The Exhortation, followed by two minutes of silence to remember those who served. After that, a reading of the Kohima Plea will be shared.
The new plaque, donated by Mr Homer, will be unveiled before the National Service Prayer is read by Captain Paul Muckle of C Coy, 6th Battalion The Rifles.
The service starts at 10.30 on Monday 30 March 2026 at County Hall, Dorchester.
Categories: Place based services
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