THE nation has always been grateful to those who have died in its service.

Yet all too often we forget those who have been left behind, once the solemn tributes have been made and the service personnel buried.

Yesterday’s awards of Elizabeth Crosses to five families — who have lost relatives in conflicts from Korea through to Iraq — is a tangible way to reinforce the gratitude, and tell them they have not been forgotten.

Some may dismiss the Elizabeth Cross, established last year for the families of those killed on active service, as a sentimental gesture.

But family plays a significant part in every serviceman and woman’s life.

The vast majority may fight for their country, but their family are the most significant representation of what they are striving to protect.

Without their mothers, fathers, spouses and children, what else would they hold so dear to go into action for?

And, of course, these relatives bear a tremendous strain – maintaining, despite their loved one’s absence, a home and family life for them to return to. And they are left to piece together their lives when that individual falls in conflict.

It is right we now say to those families “We valued your loved one’s service but we also value what you have given for your country.”