THIS weekend will mark the 50th anniversary of the M62 coach bombing which claimed the lives of nine soldiers and three civilians.

The IRA blast on February 4, 1974, was one of the deadliest mainland terror acts committed on British soil during The Troubles.

On Sunday, an extended parade will be held along with a special memorial service and a wreath-laying ceremony at Hartshead Moor Services, westbound, near where the incident took place.

Relatives and representatives from all of the regiments involved will attend to pay tribute to the fallen.

James Denny, Regimental Secretary of The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, said: "The 50th anniversary will be a significant milestone especially for the families, so we intend to come together as we always do to remember and pay tribute to those who were killed or injured on that fateful day."

The coach was driving a number of off-duty service personnel and relatives from Manchester to an Army base in Catterick, North Yorkshire, and one in Darlington.

After departing from Manchester on the evening of February 3, a 25lb bomb left in a luggage locker on board detonated shortly after midnight on February 4, while many of the people on board slept.

The IRA blast killed nine soldiers, a woman and two children.

A memorial garden was created in 2005 to commemorate members of the Army and their families who lost their lives .