Descendants of Royal Navy men who fought at the Battle of Jutland 100 years ago in World War One will pay tribute to them at a memorial ceremony in Plymouth.

More than 50 descendants will lay wreaths and other tributes at the Royal Naval Memorial during a parade and religious service on Tuesday, May 31 to mark the centenary of the battle.

The service begins at 11am, following a parade of 120 sailors and Royal Marines, veterans from the Royal British Legion, cadets and a guard from HMS Raleigh led by Her Majesty’s Band Royal Marines, Plymouth.

Representing the descendants at the event will be Peter Silverwood, 37, and his daughter Ellen, age seven, who will join civic and military leaders in laying wreaths.

Mr Silverwood, of Plympton, Plymouth, is the great grandson of Jutland veteran Arthur Lee Picton who was an engineer officer in HMS Broke during Jutland and survived. A

rthur left the Royal Navy in the rank of Rear Admiral and headed the former Royal Naval engineering college at Manadon in Plymouth.

One of the few remaining descendants with direct connection to Arthur is his daughter-in-law Mrs Joan Picton, aged 95, who lives in Saltash. She herself was a Wren Officer during the Second World War and worked under Plymouth’s Mount Wise in the tunnels. She married Admiral Picton’s only son, in 1947.

Poignant and inspirational pre-recorded readings from the past will be heard at the event from the German and British sides. Among them will be children from HMS Heroes (linking forces children in Plymouth) narrating a tribute to Royal Navy boy seaman Jack Cornwell, 16, Jutland Victoria Cross winner.

A 21-gun salute will be fired from HMS Monmouth in Plymouth Sound, followed by a two-minute silence and the sounding of the Last Post.

The clash of the German and Royal Naval fleets is credited with restricting the enemy fleet in harbour for the rest of the war. The battle killed many hundreds from the Plymouth area alone with 1,600 perishing on one tragic day and1,200 dying from only two Plymouth ships HMS Indefatigable and HMS Defence.