A DEDICATION service took place in the rural village of Kingscott to mark the one year anniversary of a helicopter crash that killed two men.

A commemorative bench was placed on Kingscott Hill on Saturday to remember the lives of Lieutenant Mark Reynolds, 24, and Warrant Officer Vince Hussell, 36, who died in the crash.

The Army Squirrel helicopter was on a training flight when it came down in the fields near Kingscott on Thursday, May 29, 2008.

Lt Reynolds from Aslockton near Nottingham was attached to the Queen's Dragoon Guards and had taken part in an operation tour in Iraq.

His family said it was his boyhood dream to become a pilot in the Army Air Corps.

WO Hussell from Marton-le-Moor near Ripon, was married and a father of three.

He was Lt Reynolds' instructor at the time of the crash and had been on two successful operational tours in Afghanistan before becoming a helicopter instructor.

His widow, Liz described him as "a loving husband and father devoted to his family". He was a keen footballer and spent his weekends training a youth team.

The Kingscott Society and villagers have raised £1,600 for the memorial bench which is made from granite and slate and was created by Gabriel Hummerstone.

Mr Hummerstone said: "It was an absolute privilege to be able to invest the time and effort in acknowledging the sacrifice our lads make for us on a daily basis."

Brothers Charlie Wood, 17, Henry Lamb, 16, and George Lamb, 12, were among the first to volunteer to get involved with the fundraising and took part in a Christmas Day swim in the Exmouth sea.

Henry was the only eye witness to the accident.

Residents of Kingscott were joined by members of the Reynolds and Hussell families, friends and colleagues from the Army Air Corps, and members of the fire service and police who had attended the crash.

The service was lead by Rev Stephen Lodwick from the Army Air Corps and was followed by tea at Kingscott House.

The Reynolds family said: " It seems incredible that a year has gone by since Mark died. We miss him greatly and mourn his loss every day. We are so proud of Mark, of the person he was and all he achieved in his 24 years.

"We are especially proud that he fulfilled his childhood dream of joining the Army Air Corps and becoming a helicopter pilot.

"We are touched and overwhelmed by the kindness and generosity of the villagers of Kingscott — from the original idea for the memorial bench, through all the fundraising, to the final realisation of the project. It means a lot to all the family and Mark's friends.

"It is wonderful to have such a beautiful and enduring memorial to Mark and Vince and the unveiling of it is a fitting way to commemorate the first anniversary."

Their words were echoed by the Hussell family.