Support Lord Dannatt’s campaign for war dead

IT IS distressing and inexplicable to learn that only 160 councils out of 600 have joined in Lord Dannatt’s First World War Tommy memorial campaign – and that despite the fact that it has thrived overseas. What campaign could possibly be better or more important than this? A generation of young men was wiped out in the First World War, sacrificing themselves for their country under the most terrible conditions. They embodied bravery of a kind that cannot be honoured highly enough and their courage is remembered today.

And every council in the land must have lost men in that terrible conflict so every one should support the There But Not There installation now. War memorials are places where the nation comes together in remembrance of its history to contemplate the violence of conflict and give thanks that we are at peace. They are places to honour and remember the dead and pay respect to those who did not grow old in order that the rest of us would be able to grow old. Why isn’t every council in the country involved?

In some cases – we hope many – it may have been an oversight, with people perhaps lacking the full understanding of what the installation commemorates. But we forget our history at our peril and if there was ever a warning about the horrors of conflict, it lies in the war memorial. Those missing councils should act now.