The premier voiced anger after the Royal Air Force base at Wittering in eastern England issued the advice to personnel, fearing abuse from locals opposed to Britain's military involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan.

'All our armed forces should be able to, and encouraged to, wear their uniform in public and have the respect and gratitude of the British people for the huge commitment to public service they show,' Mr Brown said.

The Ministry of Defence said on Thursday that commanders at RAF Wittering in Cambridgeshire had advised airmen to leave their uniforms at home when they visited the nearby city of Peterborough.

The airbase's warning comes amid a growing debate over the British public's attitude to the country's armed forces in Iraq and Afghanistan, where there are 4,100 and 7,800 troops respectively.

Former premier Tony Blair's backing for the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq was widely criticised, while the growing death toll both in Iraq and Afghanistan has fueled criticism of Britain's involvement.

In a bid to drum up support for the military, the government has encouraged local authorities to hold public parades when forces return home from the battlefront for rest periods in Britain.

A spokeswoman for Cambridgeshire Police, which covers Peterborough, said she was not aware of any incidents involving military personnel being attacked or abused in the town.

The MoD said on Friday that decisions on such matters were a matter for the local-based commander, although its general advice was that servicemen should wear their uniform 'with pride'.

'I encourage the local police to back up our armed forces so that not only can our armed forces wear their uniforms in public, but they should have the gratitude of the British public for the work they do,' said Mr Brown.

The Wittering RAF base is home to more than 2,000 military personnel, and was founded in 1916.

Before 1998 British servicemen were advised not to wear uniforms in public due to fears of attack by the Irish Republican Army (IRA), but that was changed after the signature of the so-called Good Friday agreement in that year. -- AFP