WORCESTER Royal British Legion members turned out at the weekend to pay tribute to prisoners of war who died in the city.

About 30 members of the Legion's city branch attended the moving service at Worcester's Astwood Cemetery in Astwood Road on Sunday, led by the Rev Duncan Ballard.

The first time it was held was in 1961, to remember those POWs who passed away at Ronkswood Hospital where they and allied servicemen were treated for their injuries.

A total of 37 POWs died at the hospital, built by the Americans during the Second World War, and were buried at Astwood Cem etery.

Karl Fuest was one of the German prisoners of war buried there, having died in 1947, aged 41. The legion was contacted by his mother years after the first memorial service asking if a wreath could be laid at her son's grave, to which they agreed.

She used to come over herself from Hamburg to take part in the service until she became too ill. And yesterday the tradition continued as Legion members placed a cross at each of the POW graves in the Ronkswood cemetery before Legion Worcester chairman John Hewlett gave a reading.

Members also laid wreaths at the war memorial in Astwood Road in memory of their comrades who had fallen during the conflict.

Ninety-year-old Mr Hewlett, who served in the Royal Navy throughout the war and now lives in Windsor Avenue, St John's, Worc ester, said: "It's quite a big thing for me to do this because I've had the heartache of seeing so many chaps lose their lives.

"When I used to go into the sick bay so see some of them, most hoped they'd go back, but some didn't.

"I just thought that if I could do something for them, and the prisoners-of-war, then that had got to be good."