Dover remembered the heroes of the Zeebrugge Raid who gave their lives 100 years ago this week.

A cemetery service on Monday was followed by a major parade through the town and the sounding of the Zeebrugge Bell at the Maison Dieu.

The commemoration began with the service and wreath laying at the town's St James' Cemetery where fallen comrades from that heroic but ill-fated venture are buried.

A specially built memorial overlooks the graves including that of the British commander that day, Vice Admiral Roger Keyes.

Leading figures at the wreath laying included Dover major Neil Rix and Dover and Deal MP Charlie Elphicke, the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports The Lord Boyce and Viscount De L'Isle, Lord Lieutenant of Kent.

Others there included the Bishop of Dover the Rt Rev Trevor Wilmott and Honorary Freemen of Dover Graham Tutthill, Terry Sutton, Richard McCarthy and Mike McFarnell.

They were joined by dignitaries from Flanders in Belgium plus, as a symbol of reconciliation, the German Embassy Defence attaché, Steffen Handrick.

This ceremony was followed by a march through Dover town centre from Market Square to the Town Hall where Cllr Rix sounded the bell at noon.

After that a short service took place and members of the public joined the commemorative silence.

The event was organised by Dover Town Council.

The Zeebrugge Raid, on April 23, 1918, was an attempt by the Royal Navy to block the Belgian port to stop it being used as a base for German U-boats.

The plan unravelled as a change in the wind blew away a smokescreen used to cover diversionary attackers and German gunners then opened fire.

A strong current made it hard for the lead Royal Navy ship HMS Vindictive to place British forces on the breakwater and landing craft were severely damaged.

Old ships, scuttled by the Royal Navy to block the port, did not do this fully and the Germans dug a channel to get around all obstacles.

A total 277 British men were killed against eight Germans.

But it was seen as a heroic British effort and still a success because, as the then Minister for Munitions Winston Churchill said, it had severely curtailed German submarine attacks on Allied shipping.