Prime Minister Gordon Brown, George Tresadern (formerly of the Merchant Navy and latterly of the Royal Corps of Signals) and Defence Secretary Des Browne [Photo: Harland Quarrington, MOD]

On the eve of Veterans Day, 15 Veterans were awarded their HM Armed Forces Veterans Badges by Prime Minister Gordon Brown, at a reception at Number 10 Downing Street. The Prime Minister was assisted in the presentation by Defence Secretary Des Browne.

The 15 Veterans Badges were presented to members of all three Services, Merchant Seafarers who supported military operations, and War Widows. Those being presented have served across the globe during the previous 70 years from Normandy to Sierra Leone and from the Falklands to Northern Ireland, Kosovo and Iraq.

Prime Minister Gordon Brown said:

As Prime Minister our personnel in Iraq and Afghanistan are never far from my thoughts. I am always aware that every day they are risking their lives to serve their country in dangerous circumstances, far away from their homes and their loved ones.

Tragically we have lost eleven people in Afghanistan in the last two weeks and the across the nation the courage and the commitment of our forces have been in all our thoughts. Over the last few days, all of us will have paused and thought about the great personal bravery of our Armed Forces: their discipline and duty; their fierce loyalty to their comrades; and their determination to protect the innocent.

These are the very best of British qualities that over the years we have come to associate with our Armed Forces. On Veterans Day we as a nation will mark the service and sacrifice of all our veterans from across the decades and pay tribute to their service and their contribution to society.

All across Britain in every walk of life we should stop to think about them and to remember them - young and old, men and women, and all prepared to stand up for Britain and our ideals and values across the world. Let us promise that as a nation we will never forget what they have done.

The reception and badge presentation for veterans held at Number 10 Downing Street on 26 June 2008. [Photo: Harland Quarrington, MOD]

Secretary of State for Defence Des Browne said:

I am delighted to have this opportunity, on the eve of the third annual Veterans Day, to pay my own personal tribute to all our Armed Forces veterans. I am immensely proud of the contribution that our veterans and all those who have laid down their lives for their country have made to the security of the UK.

Their sacrifice and service allows us all to live our lives in freedom - and for this they deserve the utmost respect and gratitude from the Government, and from the nation as a whole. The bravery and dedication with which these men and women have served our nation is truly remarkable.

They should be immensely proud of what they have achieved and they deserve to be celebrated. Veterans Day is a chance for all of us to show them how much we appreciate what they have done on our behalf in years gone by and to thank them for the safety and security we enjoy today.