Amid the gloom and spits of rain, the flowers sat vivid and bright, as if in defiance against the slate grey of the memorial stone they rested beside.

And amongst the reds and the yellows, the white and blue petals of one floral tribute stood out more than most.

Intricate, delicate, it was weaved into the shape of the Pan Am plane that brought them to this place, to Lockerbie, where the biting cold and drizzle helped disguise the tears, still raw even 30 years later.

The wreaths were laid one by one, in silence, at yesterday’s memorial service to remember the 270 people killed in the town’s airborne bombing three decades ago.

A representative of the Queen was first to lay a tribute during the service at Dryfesdale Cemetery.

Families of victims, politicians and local community groups gathered too. A people bound in grief, in hope. By memory.

Eleven people from the town itself died the night the sky caught fire, along with the 259 passengers and crew on board the New York-bound Pan Am Flight 103 when it came down on the evening of December 21, 1988.

Pam Am Flight 103 was blown up by the detonation of an explosive stored in a suitcase in the plane hold.

The majority of those on board the jet were American citizens, including 35 students of Syracuse University in New York State.

A memorial will be held at the university, and about 500 people were expected to gather at 
Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, where a cairn made from Lockerbie stone stands in memory of those who died.

Many believe the atrocity was committed in revenge for the downing of an Iran Air passenger flight by a US missile cruiser earlier in 1988.

The only person ever convicted of the bombing, former Libyan intelligence officer Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, died in 2012 after being released from Greenock Prison on compassionate grounds.

His family and some relatives of the Lockerbie victims believe he was the victim of a miscarriage of justice and are fighting to clear his name.

The Scottish Criminal Cases Review Commission is currently determining whether a fresh appeal against the conviction should proceed to the courts.

But yesterday wasn’t about justice or recriminations. It was everything about love, life. The living.

People held hands. Some hugged. A few even looked up at the sky.

Prayers were read and a series of silences held before wreaths were laid at the base of a memorial containing the names of all victims of the tragedy.

The Queen’s representative, Lord Lieutenant for Dumfriesshire Fiona Armstrong, laid the first tribute as a piper player in the cemetery. She was followed by Scotland’s Lord Advocate James Wolffe, QC, and Scottish Secretary David Mundell.

Pupils from local schools and Scouts and Guides groups and representatives of the emergency services laid flowers before the families of victims approached the memorial.

Reverend Susan Brown, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, who spoke at the service after wreaths were laid, said: “Scars from 30 years ago remain –they leave a mark that can never be removed, but while they will not disappear altogether and while we would never want to forget the horrendous cost of that single hateful act, we realise all the more acutely the sweetness of life and the need for it to be lived to the full.”

Mr Mundell, who is from the town, earlier said: “On this 30th anniversary of the bombing of Flight 103 over Lockerbie, my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the 270 men, women and children who perished on that terrible night, and everyone else whose life has been touched by the event.

“Lockerbie lost its anonymity that night. We went from a quiet small town to a centre of global attention in a few seconds. 

“That was the scale of the challenge local people have faced, aside from the horrors of the air disaster itself. It has not been easy, nor have we been able to achieve the closure we would have wanted, even after 30 years. However, throughout, the people in Lockerbie have retained their dignity and stoicism, and offered friendship and support to those who lost loved ones.”

Jeff Browne, Moderator of the Presbytery of Annandale and Eskdale, who led yesterday’s service, offered those words of comfort.

He said: “Whether you have come from the local community or from afar, whether you come with no faith, little faith or belong to a community of faith, know that the Lockerbie community welcomes you in love and peace today and every day.”