Veterans honoured as minister vows to spend more

Veterans and serving personnel have marched in parades across the country to mark Armed Forces Day including in Hampshire.

Defence Secretary Dan Jarvis joined the celebrations in Aldershot, where crowds of people turned out to watch the parade and flypasts on Saturday.

Veterans from the town's 10 Queen's Own Gurkha Logistic Regiment and 3 Para, marched down Queens Avenue, along with serving personnel, including military bands from the Royal Navy, Royal Marines, British Army and Royal Air Force.

Crowds were wowed by two flypasts, including by an Airbus A400M Atlas and later a Dakota which was part of the Battle of Britain flypast.

Jarvis, who was awarded an MBE for service in the British Army in 2011, said: "It is a great personal privilege to be back in Aldershot, this is where I joined the Army and where I served with the parachute regiment.

"It's a wonderful occasion to be around those inspiring people who serve, and to be clear about the commitment this government will always make - we will always support them and that's what we are working to do."

Jarvis, was appointed on June 11, after John Healey resigned following a row over defence spending.

When questioned on the defence investment plan Jarvis revealed it would be published before the NATO summit on 7 July.

Jarvis told BBC South: "The world is a very dangerous place we do need to spend more, which is precisely why the [prime minister] said defence needs to be the number one priority.

"I am determined to make sure I get the best deal for our armed forces and to work closely with industry in terms of making sure we have got the right mix of resource and capability."

He said: "Today is a really important opportunity to pay tribute to all of those who step forward in our armed forces, and those who support them."

Armed Forces Day, marked each June, is an opportunity to thank and show support to serving personnel, veterans, reservists, cadets, and their families.