A SOMBRE gathering of people met at Basingstoke War Memorial Park to honour the town’s war heroes as part of a national event.

War veterans, councillors and members of the public attended a flag-raising ceremony outside the Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council offices this morning, to mark Armed Forces Day.

The day aims to raise public awareness of the contribution made by those who serve and have served in the armed forces and it gives the national an opportunity to show its support for veterans, serving troops and their families.

The crowd then observed a one-minute silence, before the Mayor of Basingstoke and Deane, Councillor Anne Court, placed a wreath on behalf of the borough at the War Memorial.

The Mayor’s chaplain, Reverend Kelvin Taylor, addressed the crowd and said a prayer for war veterans and current servicemen and woman who have fought in conflicts, including both world wars and in Afghanistan.

A flag was raised by former Royal Air Force technical ground crew member, William Lloyd, at the ceremony organised by the Basingstoke and Overton Royal British Legion branch.

Cllr Court told The Gazette: “The armed forces do a lot and it needs to be recognised and people need to understand that they put their life on the line to protect our country.

“If this is a small way that we can react to that then it is important. It was good to see a good turnout as it is in the middle of the week and with the rain.”

For more coverage on the Armed Forces Day flag-raising event, pick up your copy of the Gazette on sale from Thursday.