The charity dinner was held at the Old Royal Naval College, Greenwich and raised funds in aid of the Armed Forces Memorial. The evening began with a service of Remembrance in the Chapel of St Peter and St Paul.

Guests of honour were HRH The Princess Royal - who was accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence - and Sara Jones CBE DL, widow of Lieutenant Colonel ‘H�?Jones. Col Jones was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross for his leadership and bravery during the battle for Goose Green.

One of the veteran's who attended the dinner was Commander Ken Enticknap. During the conflict he was a Chief Petty Officer
(CPO) serving on HMS Ardent. Having already survived seventeen airborne attacks the ship was eventually lost. At last night's dinner Cdr Enticknap was reunited with John Dylan, who he hadn't seen since the fateful day his ship was sunk. A quarter of a century ago the two paired up to escape their doomed vessel.

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Cdr Enticknap recalled Ardent's final moments:

"I hit the deck, covering my head with my hand. I didn't hear the explosion or the shock wave; I'd been knocked unconscious. The compartment was on fire; thick black acrid suffocating smoke filled the space. There were sounds, cries of pain and people clambering about. I was in charge of the fire fighting team so I thought I must get up and direct the team."

But Cdr Enticknap had been pinned to the deck by debris. After a while he heard someone approach; it was Mr Dylan, then an 18 year old Able Seaman who managed to free his colleague before they set off in an attempt to escape the debilitating smoke.

"The heat hampered our progress," continued Cdr Enticknap. "We shifted aft and slowly picked our way through what remained of the galley. The deck had gone but I spotted a gap about 10inches by 18. That was our exit route.

"John exclaimed 'we can't fit through there' but I had other ideas and began sliding myself head first into the constricted space. It was tight but I made it. I got to my feet and checked that John was behind me. We stood on the bulwark, slipped our life jackets over our heads, weakly gave them a puff of smoky air and then jumped into the water."

Mr Dylan was awarded the George Medal for saving Cdr Enticknap's life. He in turn gained the Queen's Gallantry medal for leading the after-damage control team on the previous raids. Cdr Enticknap says the pair still have plenty of news to catch up on and plan to march together on Sunday in London's Horseguards Parade:

"It was an absolute joy to see John again. I was delighted to learn that he has a settled relationship and is enjoying his work as an electrician. He also told me that he is an airbrush artist. Now that's some talent."

The Armed Forces Memorial is currently being erected in the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. It will bear the names of those killed on duty with the military since the end of the Second World War.

The 255 service personnel who died in the Falklands conflict will be among the names of almost 16,000 who lost their lives whilst serving their country. The names of the 30 personnel killed on duty in the South Atlantic since hostilities ceased will also be inscribed.

Admiral Sir John Dunt, Chairman of the Armed Forces Memorial Trust says the Memorial is a hugely important project:

"For the first time a national memorial will acknowledge the sacrifice of all those killed serving with the Armed Forces on operations or on training exercises, and the enormous sacrifice made by their families and friends whose lives have been changed forever.

"The memorial will be a living place, full of great energy and emotion; pride, joy and sadness. It will provide a reflective space where people of all ages, race and religion can come together to give thanks, acknowledge and learn more about the continuing cost of democratic and economic freedom."