THE widow of a Huddersfield soldier is to lay flowers at the Cenotaph in memory of all the men and women who have died of Gulf War-related illnesses.

Carole Avison, of Newsome, has been chosen to represent the relatives of all those who have died since the first Gulf War in 1991.

Many were thought to have been struck down by illnesses after being given several vaccinations in the run-up to the war.

Carole's late husband, Huddersfield man Major Ian Hill, was chairman of the association from 1992 to 1996 and Carole was the families officer. The flowers she will lay at the Cenotaph during Sunday's Remembrance Service in Whitehall will stand out from the wreaths of red poppies.

Carole, 56, will be wearing her husband's military medals on the day.

She said: "I will be accompanied by 14 veterans from the Gulf War Veterans Association who are all now suffering.

"In effect, I am representing countless thousands of grieving relatives who have all lost loved ones - both men and women- from Gulf War-related illnesses.

"It's impossible to say how many have died as some of their deaths have been recorded as natural ones at their inquests."

Carole, or a member of her family, will also be laying a similar wreath of flowers at the War Memorial in Greenhead Park next Tuesday morning.

An inquest into Major Hill's death will be held in Warrington later this month.

It starts on November 24 and could last five days.

His family are sure Major Hill's death was due to Gulf War illness from 1991 and believe the inquest could finally mean Gulf War illness becomes a recognised condition. If that is the case, it could be a landmark judgement for hundreds of others .

Some inquests into the deaths of soldiers who became ill after the first Gulf War have ended in open verdicts.

Manchester-based lawyer Mark McGee, an expert on fighting Gulf War cases, will be representing Major Hill's family.

The hearing will be held at Warrington Coroner's Court in Cheshire because 54-year-old Major Hill died in Knutsford in March 2001 after moving there from his home in Dalton.

His mother and six of his eight brothers and sisters still live in Huddersfield.

Major Hill was healthy when he went to the Gulf in 1991 to set up operating theatres in preparation for the war to force Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.

He was given 13 vaccinations in one morning and fell seriously ill within days. He was flown back to the UK for treatment.

Over the next few years he suffered from several serious medical conditions and was diagnosed as terminally ill in 1994.

He needed 24-hour care as his health worsened and was confined to a wheelchair with emphysema, a damaged nervous system and loss of feeling in his hands and feet.

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DETAILS of two more Remembrance Day services have been announced.

A service will be held at 10am on Sunday at St Mary's Church, Honley, before Scissett Youth Band lead a parade to the village war memorial for a wreath-laying ceremony at 10.45am.

A service will be held at 10.45am at Shepley Meth- odist Church to be followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at noon at the war memorial at Shepley recreation ground.