Kentish Express Ashford & District
Veteran’s petition appeal for memorial to be moved
An army veteran hopes to renew a debate about whether Ashford’s war memorial should be moved, by taking his petition to the council.
Mike Shepherd, 66, of Hawkes Close in South Ashford, started the campaign after problems at last year’s Remembrance Sunday service in November.
Organisers moved the service out of the enclave around the memorial into the neighbouring Memorial Gardens following a crush at the service in 2015.
But some i n attendance reported that they could neither see nor hear the proceedings, and latecomers were able to gather around the memorial despite the new layout of the service.
Mr Shepherd moved to Ashford in 1984 and served in the Army for 22 years, which included tours of service in the Falklands, Northern Ireland and the Persian Gulf.
He says he is determined to ask the council to consider moving the memorial itself, to avoid some of the problems in recent years.
He said: “The service needs to be shown the respect it deserves. If the council is able to spend £70,000 for the leader’s office, then surely for the benefit of the community it can afford to move the memorial.”
Mr Shepherd hopes to reach more people with his online petition in 2017 in order to start a debate about how remembrance services are organised later this year.
He wants to present the petition to Ashford Borough Council so the cabinet can discuss the idea.
He added: “I’m not going to give up. I want answers from the council even if it is just to tell me that there is no chance of it happening.”
Colonel Peter Bishop (retired), president of the Ashford branch of the Royal British Legion, said previously any change of location would be a matter for the council.
But he said a second, smaller memorial could be set up in the Memorial Gardens which could be used instead. See Mr Shepherd’s petition at www.change.org/u/150448730