Well remembered
ALTHOUGH some see them as irrelevant, our war memorials still matter to many people.
‘Stories-behind-the-names’ publications are well received; any adverse publicity concerning war memorials generally prompts people to put finger to keyboard to make their views known; books about the First World War continue to sell well and participation on Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day is increasing.
All these facts indicate that, for the most part, society cares – and we have a chance to prove it.
In November 2018 we shall be marking the Centenary of the Armistice – a perfect opportunity for us in the meantime to decide what we want to do with this part of our ‘built heritage’.
The best possible tribute would be to mark that occasion with a national collection of pristine, complete, structurally sound and readable war memorials but to achieve that we need to invest now in any necessary structural checks, re-engraving and specialist stone and metal cleaning.
I accept there is a case for spending money on the living rather than the dead, but this part of our heritage and the sacrifice it represents is surely worth saving.
Why? If it were not for that sacrifice, the lives we have all lived since would have been very different. Visit clean2018.moonfruit.com for more details.
Ray Thompson
Brigg, Lincolnshire
