'Forgotten Army' remembered

The Burma Star Association marked its 50th anniversary

About 2,000 veterans of World War II's "Forgotten Army" gathered in London on Sunday for a ceremony to remember their bravery in the Far East.

The Burma Star Association marked its 50th anniversary with a parade at the Cenotaph in Whitehall and a service at Westminster Abbey, followed by a reception at Westminster Central Hall.

Association patron the Duke of Edinburgh laid a wreath at the cenotaph.

The Burma campaign was one of the war's longest, and claimed the lives of 32,000 Allied servicemen.

It reminds us of our old friends and comrades who didn't come back with us

Burma veteran, Lawrence Crookall

The Burma Star Association motto is: "When you go home tell them of us and say, 'For your tomorrow we gave our today'."

Veteran Lawrence Crookall told BBC News: "It reminds us of our old friends and comrades who didn't come back with us."

The servicemen were dubbed the "Forgotten Army" because they were not given an official welcome when they returned to the UK from Asia months after VE Day.

Sunday's gathering is expected to be the last of its kind.

The Duke of Edinburgh laid a wreath

Public relations officer Charles Peall said: "It is likely to be the last one in London, primarily because it is too far for older people.

"Most of our people are well over 80 - and staying overnight in London is too expensive, so they are likely to be regionalised in future."