Prince Harry in Edinburgh to honour fallen soldiers

Hundreds of onlookers cheered as 200 servicemen and women—Prince Harry among them — marched to the tune of a pipe band as they paraded down Edinburgh's Royal Mile towards St Giles' Cathedral where memorial service was held to commemorate those soldiers killed and wounded during 52 Infantry Brigade’s deployment to Afghanistan. The troops joined families of the 24 British, Danish, American and Czech soldiers killed during the seven-month deployment to Afghanistan in which 7,500 soldiers were deployed in Operation Herrick 7. The British and Danish Defence Secretaries Des Browne and Soren Gade were also present.

During the emotional service Brigadier Andrew Mackay, Commander of 52 Infantry Brigade and Taskforce Helmand, read the names of the fallen. A piper played the Scottish lament The Flowers Of The Forest, before a Royal Marines bugler sounded The Last Post. There was then a two-minute silence followed by the bugler sounding Reveille. A prayer was offered by The Rev Neil Gardner, minister of Canongate Kirk and chaplain to Edinburgh Castle, to those still serving in Afghanistan. Brigade chaplain, The Rev Neil Allison, gave thanks for those who served their county praising, "in the midst of intense conflict, for their resolution, perseverance and an undaunted spirit."

After the service, UK Defence Secretary Des Browne said, "I can't say to them 'I know what it's like' because I don't. I think you have to be in that situation to know what it's like, but I do know that it must be terribly painful. It must be very difficult. I met a family just minutes before who had lost their son, or brother or partner.

"All of them have their own fantastic memories of that young soldier but they all have the pain of the gap that is there in the family. My message to them is talk to the soldiers who are here, talk to those people who have been in Afghanistan to see what his contribution helped to achieve."

Poignantly the memorial service was held same day news arrived that four British soldiers have died in an explosion yesterday near Lashkar Gah.

Click here to discuss this article