A cabinet made by furniture apprentices from Wiltshire College Trowbridge will take pride of place in the chapel on the HMS Belfast in London.

Malcolm Coomer, a former crew member of the ship and local member of the HMS Belfast Association, commissioned four students to make the cabinet.

The brief for Sam Law, Andrew Davis, Jake O’Keeffe and Miles Maguire was to create a cabinet to hold and preserve the ship’s book of remembrance.

If the HMS Belfast, which is moored on the Thames in London, is ever destroyed, the cabinet will be housed in the Imperial War Museum.

Jake O’ Keeffe, of Marlborough, said: “It’s great to be involved in a making piece of furniture that will last long into the future for all visitors to the HMS Belfast to enjoy.”

Mr Coomer and several other local members of the HMS Belfast Association received the cabinet at the Trowbridge campus on Thursday.

The cabinet, made of ash with an HMS Belfast inscription carved by the college art and design department, was handed over to the ship on Saturday, March 21.

It was accepted by Admiral Sir James Eberly and Sam Bottomley, chairman of the association.

Mr Coomer said: “I’d like to thank Matthew Sturgess and his students at Wiltshire College Trowbridge for taking on this project and producing such a lovely memorial book cabinet.

“I’d also like to mention Oaktree Joinery, Westbury and in particular Chris Spoor, a former student, who lacquered and polished the piece.”