MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

London ceremony climaxes Falklands' war commemoration

Prince Andrew served as a helicopter pilot during the war (Crown Copyright/MOD 2007)

Dozens of military aircraft flew over Buckingham Palace and thousands of veterans marched down the Mall in London on Sunday to mark the 25th anniversary of the end of the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina.

The ceremony took place at the Horse Guards Parade while veterans and Islanders shared memories of the conflict in a television link-up. Prince Charles, Prime Minister Tony Blair and former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher joined military leaders and thousands of veterans for the commemoration. The event began with the massed bands of the RAF and the Welsh and Scots Guards leading thousands of veterans and serving soldiers into the parade ground. Servicemen and women who fought in the conflict and Falkland Islanders then began to describe their experiences of the war. Hymns, music and readings were also used to evoke memories of the campaign during the hour-long spectacle. Hundreds of spectators filled stands lining Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall and applauded as each contingent of Falklands' veterans - Navy, RAF, Army and Royal Marines - and their serving colleagues marched into the square. The event centered on a stage in the shape of the Falkland Isles which was surrounded by the veterans, many with medals pinned to their blazers and wearing their regiment's berets. Among the veterans was Prince Andrew, the second son of Queen Elizabeth II, who flew Royal Navy helicopters during the conflict. He took the stage and quoted Rudyard Kipling's "Song of the Dead" - "If blood be the price of admiralty, Lord God, we ha' paid it in!" The Duke of York, who served as a helicopter pilot during the war, then recounted the events of "bomb alley" where British vessels came under attack from Argentine fighters. He told the audience: "Ships came alongside other stricken vessels transferring rescuers and survivors. Helicopters lifted men off fire-riddled ships and recovered men, escaping the carnage, from the freezing waters." He said earlier that the event was an opportunity, not just to remember those who fought and died in the war, but also to say 'thank you' to the people in the UK who supported them. The service ended with the Last Post followed by a two-minute silence. After the service, an estimated 10.000 veterans and current members of units that served in the war marched down the Mall, the broad boulevard running up to Buckingham Palace. The climax of the commemoration was a fly past by more than 50 aircraft representing squadrons that flew in 1982, including Typhoon fighter jets, Sea King helicopters and the Royal Air Force's Red Arrows aerobatic squadron, trailing red, white and blue plumes of smoke. The ceremony coincided with a service 8,000 miles away at San Carlos bay in the Falkland Islands, where Prince Edward, the queen's youngest son, laid a wreath at a memorial to British dead. On Friday, the prince laid a wreath at a memorial to Argentina's fallen on the islands. The ceremonies capped a week of events marking the end of the war on June 14, 1982.