Grief continues for bomb victims

By Martha Buckley
BBC News in Southwark

The year 2005 has already gone down in history as the year radical Islamic terrorism struck at the heart of Britain, with the 7 July suicide bomb attacks on the London transport system.

Some 500 people attended the service at Southwark Cathedral

But the 52 men and women killed that day were not the only Britons to fall victim to bomb attacks during that fateful year.

Also during 2005, 13 Britons were killed and many more left seriously injured or traumatised in a series of attacks on holiday resorts in the eastern Mediterranean. They, no less than the London commuters killed on 7 July, paid a high price for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

More than a year on, a special service has been held at London's Southwark Cathedral to mark their deaths and remember the continuing grief of their families and the suffering of the survivors.

Some 500 people attended the service, most of them bereaved relatives or friends of those who died. Some 80 survivors of the attacks at Doha, in Qatar, Kusadasi, in Turkey and Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt, also took part, as did members of the emergency services.

Led by the Dean of Southwark Cathedral, the Very Reverend Colin Slee, it was attended by leaders of other faith communities, united in their prayers for the victims and condemnation of terrorists.

Sombre tribute

The relatives arrived in bright sunlight, the warm mid-September weather contrasting poignantly with the solemnity of the occasion.

Following them through the cathedral's imposing gothic entrance were Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, Tory leader David Cameron, Home Secretary John Reid, Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell and the Duke of York.

We didn't even know if we wanted the service at first but now we're here we're pleased we are Trevor Lakin Families call for more help

As the last of the guests took their places inside the cathedral nave, a single cathedral bell tolled in sombre tribute.

Among those addressing the congregation was Ms Jowell, followed by Trevor Lakin - whose son, Jeremy, 28, died alongside his girlfriend, Annalie Vickers, 31, as the pair holidayed in Sharm el-Sheikh - who read an extract from the Bible.

They were among eleven Britons killed amid scenes of horrifying carnage in the Egyptian resort after three bombs hit tourist areas.

The others killed in the Sharm el-Sheikh bombings were: David Sayer, 16, Charith Jayawardena, 17, Matthew Fulham, 17, Lesley Ayers, 50, Keri Davies, 29, Hannah Lloyd, 16, Valerie Bracci, 70, Alan Bentley, 49, and Noleen Bentley, 43.

Before the service, Mr Lakin described the occasion as "tremendously emotional".

He said: "It's been very difficult. We didn't even know if we wanted the service at first but now we're here we're pleased we are."

He added: "I may seem calm but inside I'm a total wreck. It's very emotional and we're all supporting each other and trying not to cry."

Drawn faces

Also at the service were relatives of Helyn Bennett, 21, who was killed when another bomb, thought to have been planted by Kurdish separatists, exploded on a tourist bus in Kusadasi, Turkey, on 16 July 2005. Five other Britons were seriously injured.

Eleven Britons were killed in the attacks on Sharm el-Sheikh

Jonathan Adams, killed by a suicide bomber outside a theatre in Doha, Qatar, on 19 March 2005 in an attack, which injured another 12 people, was also remembered.

During the service, the Bishop of Lincoln, the Right Reverend Dr John Saxbee, who was invited to take part in the service because many of the victims came from his diocese, read out the names of each of the dead.

Faces were drawn and heads bowed as the names were pronounced, accompanied by the angelic sound of the cathedral choir singing Faure's In Paradisum, with many of those in the congregation unable to restrain their tears.

Delivering his address, Dr Saxbee spoke of a "chain reaction" of grief set in train by the bombers. Stressing the seemingly arbitrary nature of the attacks, he described the congregation as "a seemingly random choice of people bound by the loathsome lottery that is international terrorism".

Those who died had been "deemed guilty by association" by those who targeted them but had never been legitimate targets for anything other than love and respect, he added, saying: "nothing can legitimise what happened on those fateful days."

After the address, representatives of each of the dead made their way to the front to light a candle for each of those who died, in an evocative act of remembrance.

Relatives of the dead lit candles at the altar

Among them were relatives old and young, fit and infirm, including two young boys, dressed smartly in white shirts and black trousers, who made a moving sight as they joined the adults paying tributes to their loved ones.

After prayers of thanks for the lives of the victims and asking God's help to heal the physical and mental scars left by the atrocities, came hymns chosen by the relatives.

As the nave filled with song, the church leaders walked around the congregation with candles lighted from those lit in memory of the dead.

Starting with the prime minister and the other VIPs, they walked around the church, lighting candles held by each congregation member until a small flame flickered from every hand and the nave was a sea of tiny lights.