VIDEO and PICTURES: Record numbers show support for armed services at 2015 Ride to the Wall

More than 7,000 riders travelling in large convoys took part in the annual Ride to the Wall event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas, near Lichfield.

Shoppers and passers-by stopped to applaud the spectacle as the bikers passed through towns and villages on their way to Saturday's service.

Motorcyclist Phil Hamer, from Brereton, Rugeley, said : "It was absolutely overwhelming to be part of the group. The whole day was a very emotional experience."

The riders and their passengers met at 11 set points around the Midlands and rode in together for the service of remembrance.

Riders came from Belgium, Holland, Italy, France, Germany and other parts of the continent to take part.

The Ride To The Wall, now in its eight year, is the only event of its kind in the country and helps to raise funds for the Arboretum. More than £90,000 was raised by last year's ride.

Motorcyclist Bob Taylor, of the Blue Knights England XI, made up of serving and retired police and prison officers, was taking part for the third time.

The 56-year-old, from Chadsmoor, Cannock, who flies a Lest We Forget flag on his bike, said: "It's good to show people why we're riding but for me, as an ex-serviceman, it's about the service. I take part to pay my respects to fallen comrades."

Mr Hamer, 55, was riding with his wife Emma, brother Paul and sister-in-law Alison, who joined them from their home in the Lake District, and friends and work colleagues.

The tanker driver, a former member of the Royal Corps of Transport, was taking part for the fifth time. He said: "It's a phenomenal event, and it gets bigger and better every year. Those who experience it will never forget it."

An estimated 7,100 motorcyclists took part and a crowd of more than 20,000 are believed to have attended the service at which Alex Franks, a Second World War hero from Wheaton Aston, who died earlier this year, was remembered.

Mr Franks was an ambulance driver with the legendary 7th Armoured Division, The Desert Rats, and experienced every major battle of the famed North African Campaign without ever firing a shot, was captured and served time in a concentration camp.

Builder Neil Marshall, 37, of Kingsley Road, Stafford, rode to the event on his customised BMW R80 with his wife Diane in a home-made sidecar.

He said: "I go every year. Being a biker, it's a very special way to pay my respects."

Those gathered were entertained by performances from the Royal Signals Motorcycle Display Team, the White Helmets, music from The Band and Bugles of The Rifles, and a Tiger Moth flypast and poppy drop.