'WHEN you go home, tell them of us and say, for Your Tomorrow, we gave Our Today.'

It is almost half a century since this immortal epitaph became an international symbol of the courage, strength and sacrifice of men and women during the two world wars.

The reflective words of former soldier, scholar and headmaster --J M Edmunds -- have been spoken during each Remembrance Day service since peace was declared in 1945.

This verse is more profound meaning for the latest group of visitors to the Fylde coast.

As, from Friday, July 4 to Sunday, July 6, hundreds of ex-servicemen and members of the Burma Star Association will descend upon the region for the Blackpool Weekend Reunion 2003. And it is this poetic tribute -- inscribed upon the famous second world war monument, the 2nd Division Kohima Memorial, nestled among the remote hills of Burma -- which will be recited during the gathering at the Blackpool Winter Gardens.

Often referred to as the "Forgotten Army", their struggle sometimes overshadowed by events in war-torn Europe.

But thousands of Allied troops lost their lives fighting the invading Japanese in the swamps, jungles and mountains of Burma from 1941 to 1945. During the three day event, Burma veterans will be joined by former comrades and friends from countries around the world, including America, Canada and members of the elite Gurkhas to pay homage to those fallen heroes who didn't make it back home. With raffles, entertainment and music from the Brigade of Gurkhas band and Blackpool Tower's resident organist Phil Kelsall, the weekend will finish up with a special Sunday service when wreaths will be placed at the Cenotaph.