Korea veterans march on Forgotten War's 60th anniversary

Video report by ITV News reporter Lewis Vaughan Jones

Hundreds of Korean War veterans marched through London today to mark 60 years since the "Forgotten War".

About 300 veterans marched from Horse Guards Parade in the capital to Westminster Abbey where a Service of Thanksgiving was being held to mark the war, which saw more than 1,000 British servicemen killed and 1,060 taken prisoner.

Some 100,000 British troops served on the Korean peninsula as part of a United Nations force after the North Koreans invaded the South in June 1950.

An armistice was signed on July 27 1953, but by that point more than 1,000 British servicemen had lost their lives and around 1,060 had been taken prisoner.

Nearly the whole of the 1st Battalion The Gloucestershire Regiment - now part of The Rifles - were killed or taken prisoner during the Battle of the River Imjin in April 1951.

To mark the anniversary the veterans, led by the Royal Artillery Band, marched to Westminster Abbey for the service, which was due to be attended by the Duke of Gloucester, Defence Minister Mark Francois, senior military representatives, and the Ambassador of the Republic of Korea.

Mr Francois, minister for defence personnel, welfare and veterans, said ahead of the service: "Sixty years on the Korean War remains an international conflict in which Britain played a significant role and one that should never be forgotten.

"The commemorations to mark the 60th anniversary will, I hope, be a fitting way for the nation to give thanks to both the veterans, and those who paid the ultimate price in a bitterly fought campaign."