London, Mar 14 (PTI) The contribution of millions of Indian soldiers who sacrificed their lives in the two World Wars was commemorated alongside 5 million service men and women from across the Commonwealth at an annual memorial ceremony in London on Monday.

The Memorial Gates on Constitution Hill plays host to defence personnel and diplomats on Commonwealth Day, marked annually on the second Monday of March as a celebration of the 54-nation association, to honour the memory of the "volunteers" who fought with the British armed forces.

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This year's ceremony had a special focus on the 20th anniversary of the Memorial Gates, which were inaugurated by Queen Elizabeth II in November 2002.

“It is 20 years since we opened these Memorial Gates, and I am gratified that, over that time, the awareness and appreciation of the huge contributions to our war efforts made by some 5 million Commonwealth soldiers is so much more widely shared,” said Baroness Shreela Flather in her message as the Lifetime President of the Memorial Gates Council.

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“The war raging again on the continent of Europe makes it all the more poignant to recall such sacrifices in the past. We owe this to the memory of all Africans, West Indians, and Indians who fought for us in the two great wars," she said.

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