On April 24, the 54th annual memorial service was held both at the Commonwealth Memorial in Solma-ri, Paju and at Mt. Jungseong nearby in memory of the British soldiers from the Gloucestershire Regiment killed during the Korean War. The service was attended by about 260 people, including British Ambassador to Seoul Warwick Morris, Canadian Ambassador to Seoul Marius Grinius, New Zealand Ambassador to Seoul David Taylor Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu, fifty-eight British veterans who participated in the Korean War. 

A special service was also held to scatter the ashes of the late Private Scott Bainbridge, a British veteran of the Korean War, near the Commonwealth Memorial, in accordance with his will made right before he passed away last March. 

The British Embassy in Seoul also delivered a total of 18 million won of scholarship fund to 72 high school students in Paju (i.e. 250,000 won each). 

Gyeonggi Governor Sohn Hak-kyu offered flowers to the Commonwealth Memorial and met the participating British veterans of the Korean War and their families. He said to them, “I would like to say a heartfelt thank you to you on behalf of my country and the people for your sacrifice and efforts to protect this country from the enemy’s aggression, which will live long in the heart of the Korean people. We also remember that even after the war the British government and its people have provided various support for us.” 

The Governor presented chinaware made in his province, along with admission tickets to the World Ceramic Biennale 2005 Korea, to the participants of the service. 

Last February, British Ambassador to Seoul His Excellency and Mrs. Warwick Morris paid a courtesy visit to Mr. Sohn Hak-kyu to his office and exchanged opinions on the ways of mutual cooperation.