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| * Cllr Denise Hyland |
by our RBG Correspondence | Woolwich
Eleven local heroes were remembered at a poignant service today at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month at St George’s Chapel in Woolwich.
The Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Cllr Denise Hyland, was joined by Earl Howe, Minister of State for Defence in the House of Lords, the Mayor, the families of the fallen, Local Councillors, Matthew Pennycook MP, Clive Efford MP and Leader of the Opposition, Cllr Matt Hartley, to dedicate a memorial in honour of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, or who have died as a result of conflict post September 1945.
The individuals are also being commemorated in a Book of Remembrance which will be based in the Town Hall in Woolwich and an online version, which will allow people to pay their respects and add their condolences from afar.
The eleven service personnel and civilians that are being remembered are:
* Warrant Wardmaster, James William Alexander McDuff: who died on active service on 9 February 1946, aged 51 and is buried in Charlton Cemetery, Greenwich.
* Private George Edward Turner: was born in Woolwich in July 1932. He served with the Royal Norfolk Regiment in Korea and was killed in action on 27 June 1952 aged 19.
* Fusilier Denis Frank Jacobs: was born in Woolwich in July 1927. He served with The Royal Fusiliers in Korea and was part of Operation Pimlico, a mission to capture one of the hills in an area known as ‘The Apostles’. He died during the operation on 25 November 1952.
* Fusilier Stanley James Anstead: who born in Woolwich in May 1930. He also served with the The Royal Fusiliers in Korea and was part of Operation Pimlico. He also died during the operation on 25 November 1952.
* Gunner Richard Copeland Sloan Dunne: served with the Royal Artillery and died on 7 November 1974 when the King’s Arms public house, Woolwich, was widely reported to have been bombed by the IRA.
* Alan Horsley: was a part-time sales clerk who died, aged just 20, in the same incident in the King’s Arms public house, Woolwich.
* Private Christopher Gordon Rayment was born in Greenwich in 1982 and was a Private with The Princess of Wales’s Royal Regiment. He was serving in Iraq, when he died in an accident on 4 August 2004.
* Fusilier Donal Anthony Meade: joined the army in 2002 and served in Northern Ireland and Iraq. He died on 5 September 2005 in Iraq as a result of wounds sustained during a patrol in the Basrah province.
* Lieutenant Tom Tanswell: was born on 23 February 1979 in Greenwich. Tom was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 2004 and was deployed to Crete, Poland and Iraq. He died 27 October 2006.
* Lance Corporal Jake Alderton: lived in Eltham, Greenwich and joined the Army in 2001. He was deployed to Afghanistan attached to the 2nd Battery of The Yorkshire Regiment and sadly died on 9 November 2007, during an operation in Afghanistan.
* Fusilier Lee Rigby: joined the Army in 2006 and was posted to the Second Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers based here in Woolwich. Lee served in Cyprus, Afghanistan and Germany. He was tragically murdered on 22 May 2013 here in Woolwich.
Their names, which are engraved on brass plaques inside the Chapel, will appear alongside a marble memorial featuring the Royal Borough of Greenwich’s crest and the words:
The Royal Borough of Greenwich honours those service personnel and civilians who have lived here or served in Woolwich and sacrificed their lives for our country.
“At the going down of the sun and in the morning, We will remember them.” - Laurence Binyon
The Chapel, which is owned by the Heritage of London Trust, will be open to the public every Sunday from January when renovation works are scheduled to have finished.
It was chosen as the location after discussions with the families and was felt that it provided the perfect location to host the memorial as it is an army church, located opposite Woolwich Barracks and it provides a peaceful and perfect location for reflection and remembrance.
Leader of the Royal Borough of Greenwich, Councillor Denise Hyland, said: “Today we commemorate eleven people who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, or who have died as a result of conflict since September 1945."
"Eleven people who are seen as heroes – not just by their loved ones here today, but also by our residents and people up and down the country. Eleven heroes who will never be forgotten."
The Royal Borough Leader said: “The memorial will act as a lasting legacy that will enable their family and friends, as well as the wider public, to commemorate their lives and their connection with our borough," adding, "..we also believe it is fitting to host such a tribute in Woolwich - a town with historic military links - in order to ensure that all of these brave men receive the recognition they deserve."
"We are very proud of these men and we know their families are very proud too. Today we recognise the sacrifice they made,” she said.
* To be updated with photos, please check back.
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