Iraq war dead remembered

The Queen arrived at St Paul's Cathedral, the organ played and, for a moment, the bitter divisions and controversy were brushed aside as the nation remembered those who lost their lives in the war in Iraq.

Fifty British servicemen have died in Iraq, from the first casualties when a Sea Knight helicopter went down in the opening hours of the war to the death of Territorial Army Sergeant John Nightingale at the end of last month. More of these have been killed by Iraqi gunmen since George Bush declared the hostilities over than during the initial invasion.

The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams - who had made his opposition to the war clear from the outset - reflected the massive public division of opinion over the war, but praised the "dedication" of the servicemen sent to Iraq.

Dr Williams said: "We are bound to face these contradictory feelings, and we shouldn't be afraid to do so. Those who defended the action in Iraq rightly reminded us that while we talk people are suffering appallingly; while we try to keep our hands clean, atrocity and oppression reign unchecked.

"Whatever the different judgments about the decision to go to war, we have to recognise the moral seriousness of this, and the dedication of those who carry out the decision."

Calling for people to pray for "all those working to renew a ravaged country", he said leaders had made themselves "accountable for peace and justice in Iraq" and would be "called to account for it".

The build-up to today's service of remembrance had been surrounded by rancour and ill feeling.

Just as with the war itself, public opinion has been bitterly divided over the nature of the multi-faith service, which was attended by the Prime Minister and nearly all the senior members of the royal family.

Church leaders and military top brass have striven hard to strike a balance that would avoid upsetting both opponents of the war and those keen to celebrate victory.

Churchmen and military leaders said it would be a service of remembrance and not a victory parade.

That decision, however, has already caused upset among some families who lost loved ones in the war. The absence of any parade or guards of honour prompted Gordon Evans - whose son Lance-Bombardier Llywelyn Evans, 24, was killed in that helicopter crash on the first day of war - to say: "There should have been something there for them."

Other relatives - such as Rob Kelly, father of paratrooper Andrew Kelly, 18, the youngest Briton killed in Iraq - boycotted the service and said Mr Blair should have stayed away. "Our Prime Minister put our country to war unnecessarily, so what has he got to be thankful for?"

The Bishop to the Forces, the Rt Rev David Conner - who is also Dean of Windsor - took care to include in the formal act of remembrance not just the servicemen who died but "also the civilian and military dead of Iraq, and all whose lives have been taken while bringing relief to people in need".

The order of service, decided jointly by St Paul's and the Ministry of Defence, also focused on the future of Iraq and its people. The Archbishop delivered an address and there was a minute's silence, led by Bishop Conner, when a bugler sounded the Last Post and then Reveille.

Prayers for penitence and reconciliation, said by the Bishop of London, the Right Reverend Richard Chartres, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O'Connor, and Methodist Conference vice-president Judy Jarvis, called for "an end to injustice, terrorism and war".

Prince Philip read one of the lessons, from Romans - "If God is on our side, who is against us?" - while Air Chief Marshal Brian Burridge read from Micah.

Mr Blair, the first VIP to arrive, entered via the north entrance, away from the crowds. Members of the royal family, including Prince Charles, Prince Andrew, Princess Anne and Zara Phillips, entered via the west door with the crowds looking on.

The Queen was greeted by the Lord Mayor and a discreet round of applause from a crowd devoid of anti-war protesters.