News
Prince Harry awards Elizabeth Crosses at RAF Honington
13th July 2010
The families of two servicemen killed in Afghanistan were presented with the Elizabeth Cross by Honorary Air Commandant Prince Harry at Royal Air Force Honington in Suffolk.
The Prince met relatives of Senior Aircraftman Luke Southgate and Sergeant John Langton in a private ceremony during a visit to the RAF base.
The Elizabeth Cross was introduced in October 2008, and is granted to the next of kin of UK Armed Forces personnel who have died on operations or as a result of an act of terrorism in national recognition of their loss and sacrifice.
The Queen appointed new Royal Air Force honorary appointments in recognition of the strong links between the Royal Air Force and the Royal Family. Prince Harry was appointed Honorary Air Commandant of Royal Air Force Honington.
Senior Aircraftmen Southgate, 20, came from Bury St. Edmunds and was a member of the RAF Regiment, based at Honington. He was killed in an explosion while patrolling near Kandahar Airfield in February.
Sergeant Langton, 29, from Liverpool, was a crew member on an RAF Nimrod which crashed in Helmand in September 2006.
The Prince also met specialist troops trained to guard soldiers against chemical attacks and climbed aboard a state-of-the-art adapted armoured carrier experts use to detect deadly gases on battlefields.
As part of his visit, Prince Harry also watched potential recruits put through their paces by physical training instructors.