Hundreds turn out to honour paras

Hundreds of soldiers were applauded as they marched through an Essex town to honour 15 service personnel killed in Afghanistan in the past six months.

The soldiers were members of the 2nd Battalion, The Parachute Regiment or attached to the Colchester-based unit.

About 600 members paraded ahead of the service at St Peter's Church.

Two Apache helicopters flew overhead as hundreds of people lined the streets to honour the regiment which suffered more losses than any other in Afghanistan.

During the service, the names of all 15 men killed on duty were read out to a church packed with members of the regiment and their families.

Lt Col O'Sullivan said: "The friends and comrades 2 Para have lost this summer will be remembered in the hearts of those who fought alongside them.

"They will be remembered in the hearts of their families who bear such an overwhelming loss with a solemn pride in their sons and husbands which humbles us all.

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times Reverend Alan Steele

"The nation will remember them every year and their living memorial will be 2 Para."

The service was led by battalion padre the Reverend Alan Steele, who joined the troops in Afghanistan.

He said: "Each one of us was tested on this tour.

"Clearly, we did not all face the same tests but we were all tested in a variety of ways - our courage was tested, our commitment was tested, our self-discipline was tested, our loyalty was tested, our mutual respect for each other was tested, our personal integrity was tested."

He recalled the week when the regiment suffered its heaviest losses: "In that dreadful week in early June, when we lost five paratroopers in the space of four days, I asked a senior non-commissioned officer how his guys were coping and he replied: 'There will be a time for tears later, now there is a job to do.'

"May I suggest that the time of testing is now done and that here, today, is the time for tears."

He added that the men in the battalion had likened their time in Afghanistan to a quote by Charles Dickens.

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," he said.

The Last Post was played by a lone bagpiper, which was followed by a silence to remember the dead.

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