The Princess Royal paid tribute to the sacrifice of two million National Service veterans, 60 years on from the ending of conscription.
A thousand ex-servicemen, family members and guests sat on the lawn by the Armed Forces Memorial, at the National Arboretum, in Staffordshire.
Princess Anne said: “We recognise this nation owes all of them a huge debt of gratitude for that service, and if I may on behalf of the entire country take this opportunity to thank them.”
She was speaking at the Remembering National Service – 60 years on, organised by the Royal British Legion.
National Service was completed between 1947 and 1963 by able bodied men aged between 17 and 21 years old. More than two million men were conscripted with 395 killed on service in conflicts including the Korean War, Malaya and the Suez crisis.
The emotional hour-long event was hosted by actor Robert Powell, 78, best known for starring in Jesus of Nazareth. There was a Spitfire fly past, wreaths laid at the memorial, and much swapping of memories.
Princess Anne said: “These men were stationed across the globe and also here at home. Some saw active duty while others did not.
“But they understood all too well the price of freedom and shouldered that burden on our behalf. All were prepared to step forward and serve our country when we needed them.”
For the generation of men who put their lives on hold for two years, the tribute was a long time coming. Roy Richardson, of Blackburn, Lancs, who is in his mid-nineties said: “It’s about time somebody thought about the people that were there.”
Roger Grace, 85, said of the national service. “It gave you a different outlook on life, between people from different areas of the country, and travelling.”
Yesterday was also a poignant date for Roger, of Bedford, because in 1955 this was the day he, as a police cadet, volunteered for National Service. A year later and on May 16, he watched his first nuclear bomb explode on the Montebello Islands, Australia.
It is the second test he witnessed on June 19 he will remember forever. “We were 12 miles away with our hands over our eyes and our backs towards the detonation. The flash was so bright, you could see the bones in your hands.”
However, many of the conscripted young men didn’t come close to any bombs or fighting whatsoever.
“I was one of the very, very lucky ones. I was conscripted into the Royal Army Dental Corps. I knew nothing, I didn’t even know it existed,” said Brian Sims, 84, originally from Bromley, Kent.
“I joined the army dental corps, and was given a set of dentures,” he laughs.
Peter MacDonald-Pearce, 88, who lives in Braunston, Rudford, joined the RAF via National Service, and found himself on an intensive course in the Russian language.
"I was posted in RAF GATOW in Berlin,” he says. “Our job was to listen in to all the Russian aircraft in East Berlin and log all the details.” He says the experience helped him develop as a man. “I’d been a sixth former in my school - a big cheese. It brought me down to earth.”
