2,000 tickets are now available for people to attend an official service to honour members of the UK Forces and civil servants who lost their lives or were injured in Northern Ireland.

Ardoyne Road, Belfast, Northern Ireland - the route to Holy Cross primary school - secured by the Royal Ulster Constabulary and elements of 39 Brigade, September 2001 [Picture: Graeme Main]

The service is being held on Wednesday 10 September 2008 at St Paul's Cathedral, London. It will also pay tribute to over 300,000 personnel who served in the Province on Operation Banner, the official title for military operations in Northern Ireland, between 1969 and 2007.

The service, being held by the MOD, will be an opportunity to give thanks to the many servicemen, women and civil servants who served in Northern Ireland and to remember those who gave their lives helping to bring stability to the Province over 38 years.

Veterans Minister Derek Twigg said:

"The Armed Forces made an enormous contribution towards the peace and stability that now exists in Northern Ireland. Operation Banner lasted for 38 years, with several generations of servicemen and women taking part in often extremely challenging circumstances.

"We should never forget the loss of so many Service personnel and the thousands who were wounded over that period. The service at St. Paul's will be an opportunity for us all to pay tribute and say thank you for their considerable efforts."

Over the course of Operation Banner, 763 servicemen and women were killed as a direct result of terrorism. This includes 651 Army and Royal Marine personnel; one Royal Naval Serviceman; 50 members of the former Ulster Defence Regiment and later Royal Irish Regiment; ten members of the Territorial Army and 51 military personnel murdered outside Northern Ireland. 6,116 members of the Army and Royal Marines were wounded over the period.

Andrew Bennett, now Chair of the Northern Ireland Veterans Association, was a member of the Royal Corps of Signals. He served in Northern Ireland between 1986 and 1990 as an Electronic Counter Measures Operator with a Bomb Disposal Team, and with a Brigade Signal Squadron. He said:

"Operation Banner is the longest campaign in British military history, and those who served, and in some cases lost their lives over the years, deserve this national recognition. As a Northern Ireland veteran I am proud to have the opportunity to attend this service alongside former colleagues and families."

Tickets for the commemorative service are available for Armed Forces veterans of Operation Banner, including MOD civilians and the families and friends of those who lost their lives.

An application form can be downloaded from www.veterans-uk.info or by calling the free ticket line on 0800 169 2277. Tickets will be issued to successful applicants by 27 August 2008. Each successful applicant will receive a ticket and one for their guest, if required.

The closing date for ticket applications is Wednesday 13 August 2008.