A MEMORIAL service was held in Hounslow for the family and friends of fallen soldier Lee Rigby.

Drummer Lee, of the Second Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, who was knifed to death in Woolwich last week, at the young age of 25, in a suspected terror attack, was remembered by the community he had served for two years.

Around 90 people attended the service organised by the Hounslow Royal British Legion (RBL) on Sunday, including Lee’s fiancée Aimee West, Feltham and Hounslow cadets, as well as friends.

Andre McGill, chairman of the Hounslow RBL, said: “We all got to know Lee quite well when he was based in Hounslow because the RBL adopted his battalion. We couldn’t believe what happened to him but we felt we needed to do a memorial in Hounslow because so many of us knew him.

“Our most important message was what happened to him will be dealt with, and to use Lee’s memory as someone to look up to. His girlfriend, Aimee West was there and she used to be a cadet in Hounslow so it was all the more poignant.

“We invited everyone to come and take a cross which they wrote a message on and put them outside the RBL.”

The father-of-one lived in the borough from 2008 to 2010, when the battalion was based at Hounslow Cavalry Barracks.

Hounslow mayor Sachin Gupta sent his condolences to the family of the soldier. He said: “We have a close relationship with our armed forces here in Hounslow and their courage is something the whole nation is proud of.

“We send our condolences to the family, friends and comrades of Drummer Lee Rigby, who was based at Hounslow barracks in 2008. Our thoughts are with them at this very difficult time.”

Two men were shot by police after the attack in Woolwich and taken to hospital.

Police stepped up security around Hounslow Cavalry Barracks in the wake of Mr Rigby’s death.

Mr Rigby was born in Manchester and joined the Army in 2006.

He was deployed to Helmand, Afghanistan, in 2009 and has also served as a machine gunner in Cyprus and a guard outside Buckingham Palace.

He had a two-year-old son Jack, and in a moving tribute his family described him as a ‘lovely’ man who took a ‘big brother’ role with everyone.