VETERANS marched proudly through York, as towns and cities across Britain commemorated the 60th anniversary of the end of the Second World War.

A special service was held in York Minster on Sunday afternoon, followed by a parade of about 1,300 veterans through the city, which ended in Parliament Street.

The event was organised by the York and District Council of Ex-service Associations and City of York Council. It was also attended by Lord Crathorne, the Lord Lieutenant of North Yorkshire, as well as representatives from the council, York's twin cities and the three services.

On Saturday, a seven-year campaign for a memorial to the female contribution to the war effort in Britain, which was supported by the Evening Press saw the Women at War Memorial in London unveiled.

The campaign was begun in 1998 by former army gunner Mildred Veal, of Clifton, York, and ATS servicewoman Edna Storr, of Selby.

At a ceremony in Whitehall, the Queen and Baroness Boothroyd paid tribute to the role of women in the war. The £1 million bronze statue, by sculptor John Mills, depicts 17 sets of clothing, indicating the range of work carried out by seven million women.

The unveiling coincided with Veterans Awareness Week, to mark 60 years since the end of conflict. War heroes and pilots of the future came together during a special celebration at a North Yorkshire airbase.

RAF Linton-on-Ouse hosted a VIP visit for some of the region's former airmen, who reacquainted themselves with an RAF aircraft cockpit. Some flew the Tucano simulator before meeting the base's trainee pilots.

Among the 20 guests was Peter Parker, a former Lancaster bomber wireless operator, from Fulford.He said: "As wartime aircrew, I found the visit to the station's Memorial Room very moving, it is dedicated to the 2000 airmen who lost their lives on missions from Linton and is a credit to the base."

Updated: 11:56 Monday, July 11, 2005