Generations came together to honour those who fell in conflicts at Remembrance services across the county.

SUFFOLK: Generations came together to honour those who fell in conflicts at Remembrance services across the county.

In Ipswich's Christchurch Park war veterans of campaigns past and present stood side by side to pay their respects to the town's lost sons.

It was the first time that servicemen killed since 1945 were honoured at the Ipswich Remembrance Parade.

Lorraine McClure, mother of Private Aaron McClure who was killed while serving in Afghanistan, laid a wreath to honour her son and the five other Ipswich-born soldiers killed in conflicts since 1945.

Ms McClure said “I feel totally honoured to have been able to have done that.

“It was very emotional but I'm lucky that my son's name is on that memorial after only two years - other families have been waiting for so much longer.”

The six service personnel were added to the cenotaph in May during the re-dedication of the memorial.

Robin Vickery, chairman of the Royal British Legion Ipswich Branch, said: “It's so great that those who served in all wars can be remembered.

“After adding the six killed in conflicts since 1945 earlier this year, all service personnel born in Ipswich will be honoured.

“It was such an emotional service, I think the fact that there was such a big turn out from the public is due to all of the news that has come back from Afghanistan recently.”

Organised by the Royal British Legion, the parade was attended by members of the 4 Army Air Corps, based in Wattisham, and various dignities including town mayor David Goldsmith and MPs Chris Mole and Sir Michael Lord.

Mr Goldsmith said: “I think it is so important that people all over the country will have come together to remember those who have fought and those who are still fighting today.”

Felixstowe's parade along the seafront also bridged the generations with wartime verterans rubbing shoulders with young cadets - and even younger children who had come to pay their respects.

In Woodbridge, hundreds of residents packed out Church Street for an impeccably observed two minutes silence around the recently-restored war memorial.

People lined the steps of the historic Shire Hall to gain a view of the proceedings, which were attended by Troops from 23 Engineer Regiment (Air Assault), based at the nearby Rock Barracks in Sutton Heath.

The restored memorial was re-dedicated in God's name and in memory of the servicemen from the town that had died while serving the country in war.

In Stowmarket the annual proceedings were marked with a helicopter flypast as about 900 people turned out to pay tribute.

After a procession through the town, led by the band of the Stowmarket Boys' Brigade, a number of wreaths were hung on the memorial gates and the names of the town's lost servicemen were read out.

In London The Queen led the nation in paying respect to Britain's war dead as she placed the first wreath in the annual event at the Cenotaph in Whitehall.

Skies were threatening but the rain held off as the Queen was followed in placing wreaths by the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Harry, on behalf of the Prince of Wales who is on an official visit to Canada, and Prince William.

About 7,500 ex-servicemen and women and 1,600 civilians then took part in a march past the Cenotaph.

Another death announced yesterday took the British toll in Afghanistan to 231 since operations began there in 2001.