Two mothers brought together in Afghan grief

Amongst all the families invited to today's service of commemoration were two mother's whose loss has brought them closer together.

Before daybreak Jen and Angela, boarded a train from Warrington for the journey - alongside them their daughters Mel and Sarah. Theirs is an extraordinary, tragic story.

Jen's son was Royal Marine Steven Birdsall, Angela's was Private Thomas Sephton.

Their boys had been classmates at Great Sankey High School in Warrington, played football and rugby together - and both decided in their teenage years, that they would join the armed forces.

And within weeks of each other in 2010 they were killed serving in Afghanistan.

Royal Marine Birdsall was shot at a checkpoint in Sangin, and died after being flown home for treatment at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham. 3 weeks later in the same hospital his friend Private Thomas Sephton also died - having been flown home for treatment for injuries suffered in an explosion in Helmand Province.

The two families knew each other - the boys had been in and out of each other's houses for years, and amidst the grief, they have been supporting each other for the past 5 years.

There was never any doubt that they would make the journey today. They are not seeking closure they told me - that will never come. But they wanted to share in the act of thanking and honouring others like their boys they said. They seemed very nervous when I met them off the train in London, they were worried about how emotional the day would be. They worried about how much they might cry, and time and time again as I spoke to them, they looked to each other for support, to finish each others sentences. We call and text each other on those difficult days they told me - birthdays, anniversaries, Mothers Day.

And they have their daughters, who lost much loved brothers and who accompanied them today. Jen's daughter Mel, now 15, was the only one who spoke of looking to the future with confidence and a new chapter, to live life to the full and not let the tragedy ruin the rest of their lives, passionate, courageous words from a young girl who for A YEAR after her brother's death, could not even talk about it.

When they emerged from St Pauls it was clear they had all indeed been crying. But they were happy, it was a service they said that did their boys proud. They had been worried that as the years go on their sons' sacrifices might have been forgotten.

They will never forget. And they will never stop hurting. But life goes on they told me as they left - their sons would have expected them to be courageous. And today, they were.