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Army.ca Veteran
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Service for UK armed forces' personnel killed in 2009
Families of 119 UK service personnel killed in conflicts last year have attended
a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. Prince Edward
joined relatives at the service in Staffordshire where he led the laying of
wreaths.
Last year was the bloodiest year for UK forces since the Falklands conflict. The n
ames of those killed have been carved into the Armed Forces Memorial alongside
the other 16,000 service personnel who have died since 1948. The names of all
those who lost their lives in the last year were read out at the service, which also
included a two-minute silence.
Addressing those gathered, the Venerable Ray Pentland QHC, chaplain-in-chief at
the Royal Air Force, described the process of remembrance as "very precious and
special", adding that it "helps to give us a foundation". "Let us chant their names
and call them home," he said, of those who had lost their lives. And Bishop John
Kirkham, the former bishop of the armed forces, read A Litany of Remembrance.
Emma-Jane Webster, whose fiancee L/Cpl Richard Brandon, was killed in Afghanistan
in September, said the memorial was "absolutely spectacular". "It's wonderful
recognition for what he did and what he believed in," said Miss Webster.
The Armed Forces Memorial honours personnel killed on duty, or as a result of terrorist
action. Made from Portland stone, it was dedicated by the Queen in 2007 and features
an obelisk and a circular wall bearing the names of the dead. The latest 119, engraved
by stonemason Nick Hindle, include the 41 UK soldiers killed during Operation Panther's
Claw in Afghanistan last July and August. Also inscribed are the names of Sappers Mark
Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar - the two soldiers shot dead outside their barracks in
Northern Ireland in March 2009 by dissident republicans.
The memorial, in Alrewas, has been designed to allow a shaft of sunlight to fall across
the sculpted wreath on the central stone at precisely 1100 GMT on the 11th day of the
11th month - Armistice Day.
At the ceremony, Claire Marshall
BBC News
The ceremony was held between the pale stone panels
of the Armed Forces Memorial. Mothers, fathers, sons,
daughters, brothers, sisters, widows wiped away tears
and tried to control sobs as the names of the 119 dead
were read out.
The dedication was made, words were spoken to try to
ease the grief - that, the very act of remembering, was
part of the healing process. Then the wreaths were laid -
bright rainbows of cut flowers, alongside the blood red
of poppies. They left again, the names of their loved ones
now having joined those from the past.
Families of 119 UK service personnel killed in conflicts last year have attended
a service of remembrance at the National Memorial Arboretum. Prince Edward
joined relatives at the service in Staffordshire where he led the laying of
wreaths.
Last year was the bloodiest year for UK forces since the Falklands conflict. The n
ames of those killed have been carved into the Armed Forces Memorial alongside
the other 16,000 service personnel who have died since 1948. The names of all
those who lost their lives in the last year were read out at the service, which also
included a two-minute silence.
Addressing those gathered, the Venerable Ray Pentland QHC, chaplain-in-chief at
the Royal Air Force, described the process of remembrance as "very precious and
special", adding that it "helps to give us a foundation". "Let us chant their names
and call them home," he said, of those who had lost their lives. And Bishop John
Kirkham, the former bishop of the armed forces, read A Litany of Remembrance.
Emma-Jane Webster, whose fiancee L/Cpl Richard Brandon, was killed in Afghanistan
in September, said the memorial was "absolutely spectacular". "It's wonderful
recognition for what he did and what he believed in," said Miss Webster.
The Armed Forces Memorial honours personnel killed on duty, or as a result of terrorist
action. Made from Portland stone, it was dedicated by the Queen in 2007 and features
an obelisk and a circular wall bearing the names of the dead. The latest 119, engraved
by stonemason Nick Hindle, include the 41 UK soldiers killed during Operation Panther's
Claw in Afghanistan last July and August. Also inscribed are the names of Sappers Mark
Quinsey and Patrick Azimkar - the two soldiers shot dead outside their barracks in
Northern Ireland in March 2009 by dissident republicans.
The memorial, in Alrewas, has been designed to allow a shaft of sunlight to fall across
the sculpted wreath on the central stone at precisely 1100 GMT on the 11th day of the
11th month - Armistice Day.
At the ceremony, Claire Marshall
BBC News
The ceremony was held between the pale stone panels
of the Armed Forces Memorial. Mothers, fathers, sons,
daughters, brothers, sisters, widows wiped away tears
and tried to control sobs as the names of the 119 dead
were read out.
The dedication was made, words were spoken to try to
ease the grief - that, the very act of remembering, was
part of the healing process. Then the wreaths were laid -
bright rainbows of cut flowers, alongside the blood red
of poppies. They left again, the names of their loved ones
now having joined those from the past.