It was twenty-five years ago that the Falkland Islands were liberated from Argentine occupation in a campaign which saw the loss of 255 service and civilian personnel, and three Islanders.

Her Majesty the Queen, the Prime Minister Tony Blair, Lady Thatcher and other dignitaries joined families, children and friends to honour and remember those who lost their lives during the campaign. The Service of Thanksgiving was preceded by a flypast of four Harriers, representing the Joint Force Harrier Squadron from the time.

Defence Secretary Des Browne, who also attended the Service, said:

"The Liberation of the Falkland Islands was a huge achievement for our forces, operating in harsh conditions more than 8000 miles away. Our anniversary commemorations will show our appreciation for Falklands Veterans and their families. It is fitting that we begin by remembering the fallen and those whose lives have been changed by their loss.

"As we remember the service and sacrifice our Armed Forces gave 25 years ago, we remember too those who continue this proud tradition on operations around the world today, and their families."

Sara Jones, widow of Lieutenant-Colonel ‘H�?Jones VC OBE, Chair of the Falklands Families�?Association and a Trustee of the Chapel, said:

"The Chapel is an important place for families and friends who lost loved ones during the Conflict. It offers a place of pilgrimage for those who can’t make the 8000 mile journey to the Falklands Islands. It’s a wonderful tribute to those who died, and provides a place for healing and reflection."

Lieutenant Colonel 'H' Jones was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for his leadership and bravery at the Battle for Goose Green.
Colonel David Benest, Signals Officer for 2 PARA under Lieutenant Colonel 'H' Jones, said of him:

"Lieutenant-Colonel H was an inspirational leader who imbued the whole battalion with fighting spirit. Just before deployment to the Falklands the Battalion had lost 17 soldiers at Warrenpoint and Colonel H turned around the morale of the battalion.

"Tragically, as the Signals Officer I had to arrange the evacuation of the Colonel to Ajax Bay but then another tragedy occured when the scout helicopter was itself shot down with the loss of two lives before it could reach the Colonel."

Colonel Benest was accompanied by Mrs Gene Wood from Kennoway, Fife. Her son, Captain David Wood was 2 PARA's Adjutant and fought and died alongside Lieutenant-Colonel H Jones. She said:

"David joined the RAF Regiment after the Air Training Corps but he wanted more excitement so he resigned his commission and applied succesfully to join the Paras. I am very proud that my son did the right thing. I have visited the place where my son died and that together with having a national monument helps me to come to terms with his death."

During the Service a stone, one of 255 brought over from the Falklands by HMS Chatham last year, was blessed, and placed on a Memorial Cairn by Her Majesty the Queen.

The stone cairn follows the Scottish tradition of remembering those who failed to return from battle. A stone for every serviceman who lost his life was collected by the crew of HMS Chatham from key sites across the Falklands, including San Carlos, Mt Longdon, Goose Green, Mt Harriet and Mt Tumbledown.

Christopher Hailwood, Third Engineering Officer onboard the Royal Fleet Auxiliary Sir Galahad, was killed during the conflict. Today, his son James, 25, who was six months old at the time of his father's death, held the cushion on which the memorial stone rested before being placed on the cairn by Her Majesty the Queen. James said:

"I never knew my father but I know he did the right thing. I would love to go the Falklands one day to look over the water where my dad died. This is a great day for me and I feel that it is right that there is a permanent monument in the UK for people to visit as often as they like."

Leading Seaman Rab Butler, a Falklands Veteran currently serving on HMS Chatham and one of two HMS Chatham representatives taking part in the Service, said:

"In 1982 I was the Lookout and Aiming Sight Operator on HMS Glasgow. On 12 May we were hit by a 500lb bomb, which damaged the ship but did not explode. I was one of the fortunate ones who returned from the South Atlantic unscathed. I am honoured to be taking part in this Memorial Service, remembering those who did not come back, and also the families of those Servicemen."

During the Service the congregation sang a Falklands hymn 'We entrust to the Lord our lost brothers. They responded to duty's stern call. And so far from their homes and loved ones paid the price that is highest of all.'

The lament for the service, 'Flowers of the Forest', was poignantly played by a single piper outside the chapel. Lance Corporal Ross McCrindle Scots Guards, 28, was three years old when the Scots Guards famously took Mt Tumbledown in 1982. Wearing the full Highland dress and playing the Great Highland Bagpipes, Lance Corporal McCrindle was understandably proud to be playing his part in today's Service.

The Service was an emotional day for many of those family members who lost their lives during the 1982 Conflict. Sally Eyton-Jones, widow of Lieutenant Commander John Eyton-Jones, a pilot on 801 Naval Air Squadron, said:

"The conflict changed our lives. When my husband John left to join the task force the wives grouped together as you do on a married patch. I never thought a padre would come up to my house and give me bad news but on 6 May 1982 it happened. He would have been 64 this year but he died at the age of 39 and has missed many happy family occasions because of it."

Lieutenant Commander Eyton-Jones' daughter Anna, 35, added:

"I remember many things about my dad even though I was only 10 at the time of his death. I remember being woken up at four o'clock in the morning when the sirens went off at Yeovilton. Dad left in a hurry and Mum put me back to bed.

"The next day he left and I never saw him again. He was killed in what was thought to be a mid-air collision at the very start of the conflict when he was launched to investigate some suspicious radar fixes which we took to be Argentinian fighters."

Previously, in a message recorded for British Forces Broadcast Service, broadcast on Wednesday 13 June 2007, Lady Thatcher recalled her memories of the "gravest decision" she made during her premiership:

"Twenty five years ago, British Forces secured a great victory in a noble cause. The whole nation rejoiced at the success; and we should still rejoice. Aggression was defeated and reversed. The wishes of local people were upheld as paramount. Britain’s honour and interests prevailed.

"We could never at any stage be sure of what the outcome of the Falklands War would be. But of two other things I could be sure �?first that our cause was just, and second that no finer troops could be found in the world than those of our country. That is still the case.

"Let us also recall the many battlefronts where British Forces are engaged today. There are in a sense no final victories, for the struggle against evil in the world is never ending.

"Fortune does, in the end, favour the brave. And it is Britain’s good fortune that none are braver than our Armed Forces."