Ark Royal honours the dead

Amid the sound and fury of the war against Iraq, the crew of HMS Ark Royal stole a moment today to remember their dead.

Three hundred men and women stood respectfully on the deck of the aircraft carrier as the bodies of the three airmen from 849 Squadron killed on Saturday when their two Sea Knight helicopters collided were flown home.

Their colleagues were determined to pay their respects but also committed to the task ahead. One caught the mood perfectly. "We are putting our grief on hold until the job here is done," he said. "When the war is over we will remember them properly."

The three were Lieutenant Commander Antony King, 35, Lieutenant Philip Green, 31, and Lieutenant James Williams, 28, who was on his first operational tour of duty.

As the bodies were lifted, a volley of shots was fired. Against the backdrop of a calm blue sea, the crew bowed their heads in silence as the coffins, draped in the Union flag, were carried into a military helicopter.

Flags flew at half mast during the short ceremony which was held on the same deck from which the men flew their final mission.

Six Britons, all from Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Cornwall, died in the crash.