The memories of three soldiers killed during the Iraq conflict will be honoured today.
On November 4 2004, Sergeant Stuart Gray, Private Scott McArdle and Private Paul Lowe were fatally injured during a roadside bombing.
Their deaths marked the first losses of The Black Watch regiment since its controversial deployment to Baghdad to support US troops.
The trio, who all hailed from Fife, were also the first British soldiers to be killed by a suicide bomber in Iraq. A civilian Iraqi interpreter also died in the blast.
Now 10 years on, the losses are still felt as keenly as ever by the friends and family of the three men.
Mid-Fife and Glenrothes MSP Tricia Marwick told The Courier how she was personally affected by the attack.
She said: “The events of 10 years ago were devastating, not just for the people of Glenrothes, but for the whole of Fife.
“I knew Private Scott McArdle personally, so of course his death had a great impact on me and the rest of Glenrothes.
“His parents and close family were absolutely devastated and 10 years later, the pain is still there.”
Ms Marwick also revealed that the deaths of Private McArdle and a fellow Black Watch soldier, Private Marc Ferns, who was killed in August 2004 by an IED, marked the town’s first military losses and in 2007, it became one of the last communities to establish a permanent war memorial site.
Assurances have been given that the sacrifices made by Sergeant Gray, Private McArdle and Private Lowe “will never be forgotten”.
Secretary of The Black Watch Association, Major Ronnie Proctor, unveiled details of a memorial service to commemorate the lives lost during the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Around 50 people are expected to attend the event on Friday at The Black Watch Castle and Museum in Perth.
“It will be a very poignant event,” he said.
“We will continue to commemorate them and ensure they are not forgotten because we are very aware of the sacrifices that have been made.”
* Sergeant Stuart Robert Tennant Gray came from Dunfermline. The 31-year-old was described as a sergeant of “great experience in the Mortar Platoon” and had been in the army for 12 years. He was married with two children.
* Private Paul Aitken Lowe hailed from Kelty and was just 19 years when he died. He joined The Black Watch in 2002 and was a “talented” member of the Pipes and Drums. He served in Iraq alongside his brother Craig and cousin Barry.
* Private Scott McArdle came from Glenrothes. The 22-year-old had been in the army for six years and followed his uncles into The Black Watch. He was a rifleman in the regiment’s elite Reconnaissance Platoon.