Work underway for new memorial
by Rachael Woods
A war memorial damaged when a tree crushed it in the great
storm of 1987 will finally be replaced 25 years later.
Campaigners have never given up hope of restoring the monument
at Holy Trinity Church, Milton Regis to its former glory.
In February a mystery donor stepped in to offer £15,000 to meet
the £35,000 cost of replacing the memorial after congregation
member Keith Nevols wrote to the Sunday Telegraph’s Save our War
Memorials campaign.
Sculptor Elliott Brotherton has reached the final stages of the
project and on Monday will be laying a concrete foundation at the
site in preparation for installing the finished monument over the
course of the week.
Mr Brotherton, whose studio is at Ivychurch, said: “I got the
commission for the memorial in 2008 and it’s been a long wait for
funds to be raised, but it’s fantastic to see it all come to
fruition.
“My main concern was to finish the project in time for
Remembrance Day, which I’m pleased to say has been achieved.”
The monument is made of portland stone, limestone and Welsh
slate and Mr Brotherton says the design is based on the original,
but with modern elements.
Plans to use a metal plaque to bear the names of the war dead
were dropped after fears that the monument would be targeted by
metal thieves, and slate was used instead.
Elvie Lowe, Milton Regis War Memorial Committee’s publicity
officer and former Swale councillor, said: “I have been laying the
Swale council wreath at the site for years but it’s just been a
piece of stone, so it will be lovely to see the memorial in
place.
“We have been pursuing the project for a long time, but it had
been drifting, especially as the recession made it harder and
harder to raise funds. It so important that the old soldiers who go
to the church are seeing this happen in their lifetime.”
05/09/12
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