Four years after losing his mates to the war on Afghanistan, Adam Sherwen travelled from Hinton to Morpeth by flood boat today to honour his own fallen heroes during the Morpeth Anzac Day service.

“It’s been really great to be able to do this but it’s also very emotional,” Mr Sherwen, 31, said.

“Today is built on Gallipoli but there were a lot of deaths in other wars.”

Both Corporal Atkinson, 22, and Sapper Larcombe, 21, were killed in action in 2011.

Mr Sherwen was accompanied to the service by his father and Port Stephens SES controller Peter Sherwen of Hinton.

Father and son were applauded by the 2000-strong crowd while placing a wreath in honour of the two young men.

The Morpeth service included prayers and dedications from children from several local schools and a commemorative address from Royal Australian Air Force member and Morpeth resident Cameron Macpherson.

“One hundred years ago today a group of young untested and unknown were engaged in the first hours of mortal combat against an enemy, a country, many Australians had never heard of,” Mr Macpherson said.

“Anzac Day is not a day to celebrate war or to glorify its ferocity but rather it’s a day to remember and honour the sacrifice of those who served our nation in times of war.

“It’s also a day to be thankful for those men and women who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the service to our nation because they believed that what we have in Australia is worth fighting and, ultimately, dying for.”