The family members of Iraq war veterans have shared powerful addresses at a ceremony commemorating the conflict 15 years on.
Hundreds gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, Staffordshire, to honour the 179 British service personnel who died in the eight-year war.
One touching speech was delivered by Anna-Marie McDonald, who was just seven years old when her father, Joseva Lewaicei, was killed in Iraq.
Ms McDonald described how sharing stories of fallen servicemen helps “keep people alive”.
Speaking about her father, known as Louie, she said military service “was in the blood” after his own parents served as police officers in Fiji before he joined the British Army aged 20.
“Like a lot of Fijians at the time, it just made sense to him to do his bit,” she said.
Describing him as “big and strong on the outside, but soft underneath”, the berevaed daughter said he was “a kind, welcoming man” who people naturally gravitated towards.
Ms McDonald's father was killed in Iraq in 2006 after a roadside IED exploded beneath a military convoy. She was just seven years old.
Anna-Marie McDonald spoke of her father, who died in Iraq when she was just seven-years-old
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Recalling the moment the family learned of his death on Mother’s Day, Ms McDonald said: “I remember hearing a knock at the door… standing there were two police officers and a man in a suit.”
“I just remember hearing crying, wailing from the other room,” she added.
She also spoke powerfully about the return of her father’s coffin to Britain, saying one memory had remained with her ever since.
“I remember vividly waiting and hearing the sound of the boots of the soldiers carrying his coffin long before it rounded the corner to meet us.”
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Sharron Higgins, the wife of former Lance Corporal Stephen Higgins, read a statement from her husband at the event
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Despite the trauma of losing her father at such a young age, she insisted her memories are rooted not in grief but in admiration.
“For me, it’s never been about loss,” Ms McDonald said, adding: “It’s about pride.”
“I’m proud of the man my dad was, proud that he chose to serve, proud he served in Iraq and proud to be his daughter.”
She added that continuing to tell the stories of those killed in conflict was vital for families and comrades alike.
“When we share these stories, we keep people alive,” Ms McDonald said.
Another speaker was Sharron Higgins, the wife of former Lance Corporal Stephen Higgins.
She spoke movingly about the handwritten messages her husband received from his ailing grandfather while serving in Iraq.
“For him, they weren’t just letters,” Mrs Higgins said. “They were a lifeline.”
Reading a statement from her husband, she said: “My relationship with my granddad was very, very, very close.”
As his grandfather became increasingly unwell, the family helped him continue writing letters to Stephen by buying him a typewriter so he could remain connected to his grandson overseas.
“Every couple of days, I would get a letter from him,” Stephen wrote, adding: “It was always good to hear from him because I knew he was okay and he was positive — and it was something to look forward to.”
Mrs Higgins also revealed that her husband’s grandfather attended his homecoming parade after returning from Iraq in June 2008, despite his failing health.
“He sat in the crowd in his wheelchair with his hip flask,” she said, “and he was so very proud of him.”