Today, Friday 13th March, a service was held in commemoration and thanks to all of the servicemen and women who fought and were killed in the 13 year long war in Afghanistan.
HRH Queen Elizabeth attended the ceremony today at St Paul’s Cathedral in London, alongside Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince Harry who served in the Afghan war, to name a few. PM David Cameron gave a reading from the New Testament during the service. Bereaved family members attended the ceremony as part of the tribute, alongside wounded soldiers. A parade by veterans and a fly past was also part of the ceremony in honour of the soldiers.
The ceremony sought to commemorate the end to the long battle in Afghanistan, which saw the deaths of 453 UK troops, aged between 18 and 51. The Archbishop of Canterbury said some words throughout the service, as well as blessing a cross made up of shell casings- this will be moved to the National Memorial Arboretum shortly.
The Royal British Legion run the National Memorial Arboretum, and provides visitors with a wonderfully peaceful place to commemorate the deaths of people from various battles as well as memorial gardens. The National Memorial Arboretum is in Burton- upon- Trent; not too far away from Loughborough for you to visit. The scale of the site is huge- the main wall featuring the names of hundreds of members of the Armed Forces since the Second World War. The overall experience is rather overwhelming and somewhat breathtaking. It is absolutely worth the visit if you wish to pay your respects and understand more and you are able to wander around at your own pace to take everything in peacefully.
Photography by Katie Wilson
