Veterans on motorbikes and bicycles pay tribute to Falklands War casualties as part of nationwide Ride of Respect

Members of the Airborne Forces Riders, who as a group visit every Falklands grave or memorial in the British isles perform a short service of remembrance, arrived at The Falklands Sea Forces Memorial in Old Portsmouth at 10.15am on Sunday, June 11. They were joined by other veterans, including cyclists from the Falklands 40th Cycling Group, in holding a service to remembered those who died in the Falklands conflict 41 years ago. The ceremony was led by Fratton vicar father Bob White and attended by Portsmouth Lord Mayor councillor Tom Coles and Lady Mayoress Nikki Coles alongside Royal Navy personnel and military musicians.

Royal British Legion Portsmouth South branch chairman Paddy Doherty said: ‘What today’s service is all about is a group of Falklands veterans cycling from Aldershot to the memorial here, where they have requested a short service, and then they intend to cycle back to Aldershot. This is the last of 40 challenges and the object is to collect money and send benches out to the Falklands cemeteries.’Falklands veteran and cyclist Gus Hales added: ‘We’re all approaching old age now, guys are retiring from work with a lot more time on their hands and, if you’re not careful, it's more time to think. The good thing with cycling is you’re always going forward. There’s a very fine line between living in the past and remembering the past.’

The bikers continued to The Yomper statue in Eastney Esplanade, Southsea for another service at 11.15am, after which some continued to Worthing to further pay their respects at Durrington Cemetery.

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Among the bikers at The Yomper memorial in Southsea was Kevin Hughes, who served for six years in the naval reserves and six and a half years in Territorial Army. Terry said: ‘I’ve just come up to pay my respects for the fallen, and then we’re going to ride back to Worthing and do another ceremony there for a fallen paratrooper. I’m just hoping the rain keeps off.’

Kevin Maynard, a member of Worthing Veterans Association who served for in the army and TA for 13 in total, added: ‘I served when the Falklands campaign was on – I didn’t go down south myself but I had a hell of a lot of mates go down there. I lost a couple of them so, anything like this, I’m very pleased and proud to come along and pay my respects. Three people that I knew were killed down there plus many more that I had served with went south.’

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Leading the Hampshire leg was Parachute Regimental Association regional secretary for the South Vic Thorn, who said: ‘We visit every single grave of every serviceman who was killed in the Falklands conflict. This year, it’s regional because it’s so stressful to do the whole country – which we have done in previous years. The Portsmouth service was fantastic. We came in with the Falklands cycle riders – from the George Inn up on Portsdown Hill all the way until the service in Portsmouth at the Square Tower. We had a light a light sprinkling of rain while we stood to attention, but other than that it has been excellent.’