Service for UK armed forces' personnel killed in 2009 - BBC News

[Yrys]

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.

 

[Yrys]

Pride and dignity of killed service personnel families

Families laid wreaths and bouquets of
flowers at the base of the memorial

In this peaceful place in the English Midlands, an arboretum with 50,000 trees,
families gathered not only to mourn but to voice their pride. The Armed Forces
Memorial is dedicated to all the service personnel killed in the line of duty since
1948.

Of the 119 men who died last year, 108 lost their lives in Afghanistan.

The Chaplain in Chief of the Royal Air Force, the Venerable Ray Pentland, offered
words of comfort to the relatives who attended Saturday's special ceremony.
"We're here to remember. Everyone is here as one family. Deaths leave lives
shattered but dedicating the names is part of remembering."

'Wonderful recognition'

The 119 names were read out - one by one - from the Royal Navy, from the Army
and from the Royal Air Force. 2009 was the worst year for fatalities in the British
armed forces for more than 20 years. Not since the Falklands War in 1982 had
so many died.

Twenty-four-year-old L/Cpl Richard Brandon was killed by an improvised explosive
device (IED) in Afghanistan last September. Today his fiancee, Emma Jayne Webster,
talked of her nervousness in attending this national event. But the occasion clearly
meant a great deal and her dignity shone through. "I think what I've seen is
absolutely spectacular. It's wonderful recognition for what Richard did and what he
believed in and for his country," she said.

Also here was Peter Fullerton. He came to honour his son, 24-year-old L/Cpl James
Fullerton, who was also killed in Afghanistan by an IED - along with two comrades.
"We saw this as a fantastic honour to fallen soldiers, especially for our son, and we
were so so proud of him. "We'll always be proud of him because he was a fantastic
young man. It's very moving to see his name on the wall. It's not a day you want to
see but it was very touching."

There are some 16,000 names on these Portland stone walls that form the centre-
piece of the memorial. The list of British military involvement - in both conflict and
peacekeeping operations - since the 1940s is extensive.  Palestine, Malaya, Korea,
Cyprus, Northern Ireland, the South Atlantic, Bosnia, Sierra Leone, Iraq and
Afghanistan are just a few.

Initially, when the Armed Forces Memorial was unveiled in 2007, the names of those
killed were carved by computer but over the last couple of years, the names been
painstakingly engraved by hand, by stonemason Nick Hindle. "You're obviously
concentrating very hard on what you're doing but you do know a lot of the names
from the paper or the TV. So you can't help but be caught up by them and it's a very
emotional time," he said.

After the playing of the national anthem, the families came forward to lay wreaths
and bouquets of flowers at the base of the towering white walls. Then they stood
quietly - simply comforting one another and remembering.

The Armed Forces Memorial was closed to the general public during the ceremony
but when the flow of regular visitors resumes, the one millionth visitor is expected.