SOLDIERS from the Dukes gathered in Italy for moving ceremonies to mark the 60th anniversary of the Anzio landings.
In beachhead fighting, 173 men from the 1st Battalion of the Duke of Wellington's Regiment were killed out of a strength of some 700.
A service was held at the Anzio War Cemetery to mark their deaths and also inter the remains of two unknown British soldiers.
It was followed by the unveiling of a plaque at Anzio harbour to record the battalion's part in the landing.
The service and unveiling ceremony was led by the colonel of the regiment, Maj- Gen Sir Evelyn Webb-Carter, whose father commanded the battalion at Anzio.
In the months that followed the landings, the Dukes fought their way up Italy until their final major battle, some 300 miles further north, at Monte Cece, between Florence and Bologna. It was here that Pte Richard Burton earned a Victoria Cross.
Seventy members of the regiment travelled from England for the ceremonies, including five veterans of the Anzio battle.
Drummers and buglers came from the Dukes' base in Osnabruck, Germany.
The Dukes are the only regiment in the Army to carry four, rather than two, colours on parade.
Joining the ceremonies were the mayor of Anzio and the British Ambassador, Sir Ivor Roberts.
During the campaign the battalion suffered more casualties than any other Army unit. Out of respect, it was given the honour of leading the ceremonial entry into Rome on June 8, 1944.
