A memorial service was held to commemorate Operation Varsity.

Each year, the Glider Pilot Regimental Association holds a memorial service to commemorate Operation Varsity, which took place on March 24, 1945.

The operation was the last airborne operation of the Second World War, a vital part of what became known as The Rhine Crossing.

Forty-three gliders were flown from Earls Colne Airfield in an operation which in total included more than 1,500 aircraft and 1,300 gliders, both American and British - the largest single lift of airborne forces ever undertaken.

Varsity was planned to force a crossing of the Rhine at Weisel in Germany and start the final advance on Berlin.

Each year, survivors from the Glider Pilot Regimental Association, in conjunction with the Army Air Corps, return to the Marks Hall estate, Coggeshall, for a memorial service dedicated to the pilots who lost their lives during the operation.

See the BWT for the full story.