Widow pays tribute to Afghan fallen

The Prince of Wales attends the War Widows annual Service of Remembrance at The Cenotaph
12 April 2012

A war widow has paid tribute to the "incredible bravery and courage" of young men killed in Afghanistan, at a remembrance service attended by the Prince of Wales.

Betty Withers, 85, from Leicester, was one of 150 war widows and widowers who attended a memorial service at the Cenotaph in Whitehall where Prince Charles laid a wreath.

Mrs Withers, a former member of the Women's Royal Naval Service (WRNS), joined the War Widows' Association after her husband died from long-standing battle injuries in 1994.

She said: "What we need to think about is the young ones who have died in Afghanistan, and it's their incredible bravery and courage we should remember at this time of year.

"Remembering our husbands is about the comradeship of loss - we've done all our crying now and this is a time to come together and think about the younger ones.

"We see the young chaps heading to war and they look just like our husbands did 50 years ago.

"Some of them haven't even had the chance to have a life, and for as long as we can we will support them and keep their memories alive."

Prince Charles, the patron of the War Widows' Association, attended the short ceremony of hymns and prayers to show his respect for the fallen soldiers.

He laid a wreath at the Cenotaph, tied with a blue ribbon and topped with the Prince of Wales's feathers, signed "In constant remembrance, Charles".

After a moment of reflection, he was thanked by Baroness Fookes, president of the War Widows' Association, who led the crowd in the Association's prayer, We Will Remember Them.

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