Ceremony to remember 2009 armed forces dead

A dedication ceremony has been taking place to pay tribute to UK armed forces members who lost their lives in the course of duty last year.

The service, held annually at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, was led by Bishop John Kirkham and attended by families of the 119 people killed in 2009.

The Earl of Wessex, Andrew Robathan MP and senior military representatives joined the tribute.

The names of all those to be remembered in the service were engraved on to the Armed Forces Memorial in April and May.

The memorial is a tribute to the 16,000 men and women killed on duty or as a result of terrorist action since 1948.

The memorial has space for 15,000 more names but because of the high number of casualties in 2009 - the bloodiest year in two decades - engraving has begun on the one remaining blank wall of the memorial.

During the service all 119 names were read out, after which families were invited to lay wreaths at the base of the memorial walls.