Padre John Durant, chaplain to the Joint Force Logistic Component, based in Kuwait, commissioned the set of four candlesticks for St John the Baptist's Chapel in the British base there.

The padre asked metal smiths from 9 Armoured Company Royal Mechanical and Electrical Engineers (REME), based in Bordon, to forge a new set of four steel candlesticks out of mild steel, using traditional forging techniques, for the church service.

Staff Sergeant Rory Olney (41) from Bordon, said: "It was a challenge, but we enjoyed adapting our techniques to make the candlesticks – and it gives us a different project to work on."

He attended a nine-month course at REME training school in Bordon to gain City & Guilds level qualifications, before working in the field.

The smiths used a portable forge made by Staff Sergeant Olney. Using domestic coke and a powerful electric fan, the forge can reach temperatures of 3,000 degrees centigrade. The metal smiths only need 900 degrees to work mild steel.

SS Olney and Corporal Chris Hunter, from Manchester, have worked in the Kuwait Support Facility since May 11, improving the security on containers carrying sensitive equipment, as part of the effort to return UK equipment from Basra in good order.