Veterans, service personnel and families have marked the 10th anniversary of the end of UK combat operations in Afghanistan with a wreath-laying ceremony at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
Organised by the Royal British Legion, it featured a service of remembrance and a wreath-laying ceremony at the Armed Forces Memorial.
The 235 guests included the serving and veteran communities of Afghanistan, the families of those who served, and those who worked as civilian contractors supporting UK forces and civil society during the conflict.
Minister for veterans and people Alistair Carns, who is a veteran of the conflict himself, attended the ceremony and laid a wreath.
Victoria Bateman, widow of Lance Corporal James Bateman who in 2008 became the 101st British soldier to be killed in Afghanistan, gave a reading.
Earlier in the week, Defence Secretary John Healey laid a wreath at the Iraq and Afghanistan Memorial at the Ministry of Defence in London.
October 26 marks 10 years since UK forces ended combat operations in Helmand, Afghanistan, and handed over Camp Bastion to the Afghan authorities.
Some 150,000 British armed forces personnel served in Afghanistan and 457 died.
Mr Healey said: “As we mark a decade since the conclusion of UK combat operations in Afghanistan, we honour the immense sacrifice made by our personnel.
“We remember the 457 British personnel who lost their lives, the thousands who were wounded, and the families who bore such a burden during this conflict.”
Mr Carns said: “The 10-year anniversary of the end of UK combat operations in Afghanistan is a solemn occasion for reflection.
“Having served five operational tours in Afghanistan, it was a deeply personal moment to lay a wreath for those who served and died.
“We remain committed to supporting the Afghan people through diplomatic and humanitarian efforts.”
Chief of the Defence Staff Admiral Sir Tony Radakin said: “Today, we remember the bravery and sacrifice of our armed forces personnel who served in Afghanistan.
“A decade on from the end of UK combat operations, we remain committed to honouring the 150,000 personnel who served and the 457 men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The Royal British Legion’s director of remembrance Philippa Rawlinson said: “Many families lost loved ones during Operation Herrick, and as we mark 10 years since the end of combat operations in Afghanistan, we remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice and the RBL stands ready to support those in our community impacted by this conflict.
“In a year when we’re marking significant 80th Second World War anniversaries, it’s important we also take time to remember the service and sacrifices of more recent conflict and the younger generation of the armed forces community, including those who fought in Afghanistan.”
UK military involvement in Afghanistan began in October 2001 as part of the Nato response to the 9/11 attacks.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here