THE names of three more servicemen who lost their lives in the service of their country since 1945 were honoured at a ceremony at the Newton Abbot war memorial on Sunday.

The ceremony in recognition of Sgt Brian Boyatt, Capt Victor Edgecumbe and Flt Lt Anthony Wade, was led by the chaplain of the Newton Abbot Royal British Legion, the Rev Bruce Porter.

Their names have been inscribed on the new memorial stone, adding to that of Royal Air Force chief technician Richard Brown, 40, who died in Iraq with nine other servicemen when their Hercules aircraft was shot down by rebels in January last year.

The short service was attended by family members – who laid bunches and posies of flowers – representatives of the RBL, ex-service organisations, the 1322 (Newton Abbot) Squadron ATC, Newton Abbot town councillors and residents. And this week, relatives of Sgt Boyatt specifically asked this newspaper to publish their thanks to all who had anything to do with the ceremony.

In a short statement, the family said: 'We would like to convey our heartfelt thanks to all those who organised and attended Sunday's dedication ceremony at the war memorial – an emotional and uplifting day to remember. 'Many thanks.' Referring to 'these sons of Newton Abbot', the mayor, Cllr Ken Lewis, said they had died in the service of their country doing their duties as expected of the forces.

Referring to a 20th birthday concert of Choir 86, during which they performed The Armed Man, by Karl Jenkins, that he had attended the previous evening, Cllr Lewis said a scene had shown the inscription on London's Cenotaph 'Their Name Liveth for Evermore'.

'We know that this is always so in the hearts and minds of the many relatives and friends of these gallant men here today, but from today their names liveth for evermore here in the heart of their home town, Newton Abbot,' he said. The exhortation was read by the president of the Newton Abbot RBL branch, Frank Harris.

Sgt Boyatt was a signaller in the RAF and died, aged 21, in August 1957, when the aircraft he was on crashed during a supply drop to British troops who were hunting communist terrorists in Malaysia. He is buried in Kuala Lumpur. Like Flt Lt Wade was a leading member of 1322 Squadron before joining the RAF. Aged 29, Flt Lt Wade was the victim of an air crash in Akrotiri, Cyprus, in 1972. His body was flown home and he is buried in Newton Abbot cemetery.

Capt Edgecumbe, of the Royal Engineers, saw service in Egypt and India, and in Burma with the Chindits during the second world war. He was wounded while swimming a river to blow up a bridge used by the Japanese. He was mentioned in despatches and commissioned on the field with the rank of lieutenant. Tragically, in July 1958, at the age of 38, he died under a heap of fallen rubble while dismantling a cross channel gun emplacement between Folkestone and Dover.

Capt Edgecumbe, who was the officer commanding the Eastern Command Plant Troop, stationed at King's Hill Camp, Hoo, near Rochester, left a widow and three children, and was buried with full military honours.