Queen's message as victims of Pan Am bombing over Lockerbie are remembered

A message from Her Majesty will be read during a service in Lockerbie's Dryfesdale Cemetery to remember the 270 people killed after Pan Am flight 103 exploded over the town.

It will be delivered by broadcaster Fiona Armstrong, the lord lieutenant for Dumfriesshire.

The Queen's message reads: "Please convey my warm thanks to the people of Dumfriesshire for their kind message, sent on the occasion of their Remembrance Service to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the Lockerbie bombing.

"I send my prayers and good wishes to all those who will be marking this solemn anniversary.”

Memorial services will be held in Dumfriesshire and the United States today.

Eleven people died in Lockerbie, along with the 259 passengers and crew on board the New York-bound plane which had set off from Heathrow and exploded over Lockerbie on the evening of December 21, 1988.

Scottish Secretary David Mundell, who is from the town, will attend a service at Dryfesdale Cemetery where prayers will be said for all those affected by Britain's biggest terrorist atrocity.

He said it had taken only a few seconds for Lockerbie to go from a small, quiet town to the centre of global attention.

Speaking ahead of the service, the MP for Dumfriesshire added: "It has not been easy, nor have we been able to achieve the closure we would have wanted, even after 30 years.

"However, throughout, the people in Lockerbie have retained their dignity and stoicism, and offered friendship and support to those who lost loved ones.

"The relationship that has developed between Lockerbie Academy and Syracuse University is one of the few positives to come from that night, along with all the other personal relationships that have been forged.

"Strengthening and deepening those relationships must be our priority as we look to the future."

A memorial mass will also be held later at the town's Holy Trinity RC Church.

Canon Patrick Keegans, who was parish priest in Lockerbie in 1988, will speak of the aftermath of the disaster in his homily.

The majority of those on board the jet were American citizens, including 35 students of Syracuse University in New York State.

A memorial will be held at the university, and about 500 people are expected to gather at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia where a cairn made from Lockerbie stone stands in memory of those who died.

Solicitor General for Scotland Alison Di Rollo will attend the service along with a representative from Police Scotland.

Speaking in the Scottish Parliament yesterday, first minister Nicola Sturgeon said the enduring ties and friendships created following the bombing have left a legacy of hope for the future.

"An almost unimaginable tragedy brought out incredible reserves of solidarity, compassion and love," she said.

"The bereaved showed immense dignity and resilience. People in Lockerbie and the surrounding area opened their hearts to those who had lost loved ones.

"Enduring ties and friendships have been created. Syracuse University, which lost 35 of its students in the bombing, now accepts two scholarship pupils every year from Lockerbie Academy.

"That is a powerful example of the way in which people have worked to remember the past, in a way which also builds hope for the future.

"That hope is also now part of the legacy of Lockerbie. And that is perhaps something to hold in our hearts tomorrow as we look back on the tragedy, as we think about all those who lost loved ones and as we remember and honour all those who died."

Scottish Conservative deputy leader Jackson Carlaw paid tribute to one of the victims, who had worked in his family's business and died at Lockerbie.

"I associate myself entirely with the remarks the First Minister has made and the remarks that the Prime Minister made yesterday," said Mr Carlaw.

"As I was preparing for Christmas that year, so were the Somerville family. Jack Somerville had been the retail vehicle sales manager in our family business for some 20 years before he retired.

"I remember him with great affection - yes, he had a sheepskin coat like all the best used car sales managers. He was fond of a cigar, he was a big personality.

"He and his family were in the house in which the plane landed and were obliterated.

"I know I, and many of his former colleagues, along with all those who lost relatives and friends think fondly of them each year when this anniversary comes around."

Prime Minister Theresa May and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn have both this week also paid tribute to all those affected by the disaster.

Pam Am Flight 103 was blown up by the detonation of an explosive stored in a suitcase in the plane hold.

Many believe the atrocity was committed in revenge for the downing of an Iran Air passenger flight by a US missile cruiser earlier in 1988.

The only person ever convicted of the bombing, former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, died in 2012 after being released from Greenock jail on compassionate grounds.

His family and some relatives of the Lockerbie victims believe he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice and are fighting to clear his name.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently determining whether a fresh appeal against the conviction should proceed to the courts.

Aamer Anwar, lawyer for Megrahi's family, said: "The reputation of the Scottish law has suffered both at home and internationally because of widespread doubts about the conviction.

"The only place to determine whether a miscarriage of justice did occur is in the Court of Appeal, where the evidence can be subjected to rigorous scrutiny. We hope that can finally take place next year."

Three decades on, the investigation into the bombing itself continues, with prosecutors pledging to track down Megrahi's accomplices.

A Crown Office spokeswoman said: "Prosecutors and police, working with UK Government and US colleagues, will continue to pursue this investigation, with the sole aim of bringing those who acted along with Al Megrahi to justice."