The sound of a marching band floated on the summer breeze as veterans and dignitaries gathered to rededicate their war memorial.

The monument to the fallen of the Middlesex Regiment had stood in the Inglis Barracks in Mill Hill since 1922.

The barracks is now being redeveloped and the memorial has been moved to a site opposite St Paul’s Church on the Ridgeway.

The church’s vicar Rev Jonathan Shaw led the solemn rededication service remembering those who had died in the service of their country, including the 12,694 it lost during the First World War.

Guests including the Mayor and Mayoress of Barnet, Brigadier Richard Dennis, Barnet's Deputy Lieutenant Martin Russell, councillors and veterans looked on as the band of the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment played Nimrod and the Last Post.

In the reception afterwards, Brigadier Dennis thanked the people who had made moving the war memorial possible.

He praised the example of "determination, bravery and courage in the face of adversity" set by “The Die Hards”, adding their traditions were carried on in the Princess of Wales’s Regiment.

Speaking after the service, president of the Middlesex Regiment Colonel Rex Cain said how happy he was to see the monument standing outside its old regimental church.

He said: “We’re all getting old now and the regiment is reaching the end of its life. The memorial means we will be able to continue to make our mark.

“It is wonderful that, after six years of waiting, the memorial is outside the church we marched to every year since 1905.”

The Mill Hill Preservation Society, Mill Hill councillor John Hart and the Middlesex Regimental Association were instrumental in ensuring the monument was not left in situ or moved out of the borough, but was placed in a prominent place.

They persuaded the Inglis Consortium, which is in charge of the development, to pay for the move.

The representatives for Mill Hill ward, Cllr Hart and Cllr Sury Khatri said: “The memorial in the new site is beautiful and a fitting tribute to the gallant men who served and lost their lives in the service of our beloved country. 

“The Inglis Consortium did an outstanding job in creating something unique and special, a fine example of working with the community.”

Rev Shaw added: "We are thrilled to see how well the monument complements the church and other memorials here.

"We will look after it and cherish it, it has a new home here."