Queen to attend Iraq remembrance service
Queen to attend Iraq remembrance service
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Monday, 10, Aug 2009 05:32
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are to attend a remembrance service to mark the end of combat operations in Iraq, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have confirmed.
The ceremony will be held at St Paul's Cathedral on Friday October 9th.
In a statement released on Monday, the MoD said the service will provided an opportunity to honour the members of the UK Forces and civil servants who served in Iraq and to remember those who lost their lives during the six year operation.
The majority of the congregation will consist of serving and ex-serving veterans of the conflict, along with their commanders, the injured and families of those who died.
Defence secretary Bob Ainsworth said the service would be an opportunity to recognise the "enormous" contribution made by British service personnel and their Iraqi counterparts.
"In particular it will be a time to remember the ultimate sacrifice made by those who died and who contributed to the greater peace and stability that exists in Iraq today," he said.
In the six years between 2003 and 2009, 179 British service personnel were killed in Iraq.