Remembering The First Gulf War: A Veteran On The Meaning Of The New Memorial

When Her Majesty the Queen will unveil a new official memorial to the Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars on Thursday, war veteran Ian Ewers-Larose will be there to witness it.

Mr Ewers-Larose joined the RAF in 1985 as a medic and was deployed on operation Granby during the very early stages of  the 1st Gulf War. 

In an exclusive interview before the event, he said:

"I think it's fantastic that there is a recognition of those who have served out there. (...) It's a huge honour to be invited up there to see it unveiled."

The memorial commemorates both military personnel and civilians who served in the Gulf and Afghanistan from 1990-2015. More than 600 British soldiers were killed.

It also recognises those who worked on the humanitarian side of operations, in areas such as aid distribution, education, healthcare, infrastructure and governance.

On Thursday the unveiling of the new memorial will be live on Forces TV or on our Facebook page.