War veterans, the higher echelons of the Royal Navy and Air force, and people from as far afield as Australia were among those who braved the rain and wind for Sunday's Battle of the Atlantic 70th anniversary memorial service in Pembroke Dock.

At noon, a parade went from Pembroke Dock Community School to the Dockyard Chapel, where Air-Commodore Andrew Neal unveiled a memorial plaque.

Rev Michael Brotherton MBE conducted a service at Pater Hall and there was music by Pembroke Silver Band.

May 1943 is considered to be a pivotal period in the Battle of the Atlantic and Pembroke Dock's flying boats were in the forefront of the action, protecting convoys and seeking out the German submarines.

The Milford Haven Waterway was a major convoy assembly port as well as the base for naval escort vessels.

The service recalled an encounter over the Bay of Biscay on June 2nd, 1943, between a Sunderland EJ134 from 461Australian Squadron and eight Junkers Ju88 fighters of the Luftwaffe. One crewman was killed and others injured in the hour-long battle.

The crew returned to operations, but died just ten weeks later while on another Bay of Biscay patrol.

Patricia Swain, sister of the Sunderland's pilot, Flight Lieutenant Colin Walker, flew from Australia to attend the service.

"They cared deeply for one another and used to fly as one unit whenever they went out," she said.

"It was a terrible blow when all of the others perished just two months later."

The service was the culmination of a weekend of events coordinated by Pembroke Dock Sunderland Trust.