THEY stood in dignified silence for a service that has happened for 50 years but may not happen next year.

Veterans from the Royal Hampshire Regiment attended their memorial service on Saturday in the garden of their regimental headquarters amid a cloud of uncertainty.

More than 80 old soldiers and their families travelled from across the country to attend the ceremony in the beautiful grounds of Serle's House in Winchester.

But the annual remembrance of fallen comrades and the garden with pretty flowers and blossom trees could soon be taken away from them.

The Ministry of Defence is planning to sell Serle's House and the memorial garden on the open market and has not yet guaranteed that veterans will have access to the garden that means so much to them.

A spokesman firstly said the garden would be open for just 12 days a year but recently the MoD has been tight-lipped over the garden's future even though questions have been asked in Parliament.

The proposal has led to deep feelings of uncertainty in Hampshire and a Daily Echo-backed campaign for the MoD to guarantee the future of the garden.

Hampshire County Council has said it would like to buy the garden for the people of the county.

At the service 50 years to the day after the garden was opened, old Tigers, wearing their medals with pride, made their feelings clear on how they see their special place in front of the Georgian headquarters that has been part of the regiment's history for 200 years. Jim Bellows, 83 from Treagore Road in Calmore, near Totton, landed in France on D-Day in 1944.

He said that a good friend's ashes are scattered amid the flowers of the garden like others near to the memorial in honour of old comrades.

He said: "He was my signaller who landed with me on D-Day and when I come here I think of him. He was a young lad and he was one of the few survivors from his company. When you come to a place like this you are together again.

"It's disgusting. The MoD could not give two hoots what happens. The history of this country is being destroyed."

Joe Vardy, 87, from Adelaide Road, Southampton, joined up at Serle's House in 1929.

He said: "This is our religious place as much as anybody else's is. We do not like to protest - this a dignified service. We would rather do that."

Bob Martin, 86, from Roberts Road in Shirley, Southampton, added: "It's home to us. It's a place to bring us together to celebrate and remember."

Wheelchair-bound Rocky Rawles, 81, took part in the Italy campaign during the Second World War.

"I am going to die soon and I am going to have my ashes put in the garden but I do not know what I am going to do now.

"I am not very good at words but the garden means everything to me. It's part of my life."

During the poignant service the ashes of 103-year-old George Louth, from Havant, who died in April, were scattered in the roses of the garden.

He was the Tigers' oldest soldier who served in the trenches of the First World War. Some of his ashes were scattered on the French fields and some were saved for the spiritual home of the regiment.

In an address to the ceremony regimental secretary Lt Col Hugh Keatinge said: "His life spanned three centuries and it saw many changes, It began in the era of the horse and cart and ended with his recollections being posted on the Internet."

After the ceremony the son of Mr Louth, Bill said: "It would be nice if they could keep the garden. You need this to remind us of the past."

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