We feel our VCs should be honoured together

PLEASE may I give my thanks to F Jones of Thatcham for the extremely timely letter about the relocating of the VC Stones in Thatcham (Newbury Weekly News, April 14). As you may expect the whole issue was ‘put on hold’ for two years during Covid.

However, just last week Thatcham Royal British Legion members met with the town council to explore just where the stones should be moved and how they should be best displayed.

The technical practicalities are now being assessed by town council officers with the intention that the removal from their current ground level location should be achieved this autumn when we intend that the mayor will rededicate the stones in their new position.

The point is made in the letter that the war memorial could be a good location for the VC stones.

This idea was fully investigated when the First World War VC Stone was first offered to the town. We discovered that only the names of those who died as a direct result of action could be at a war memorial. Thatcham Town Council made the decision to honour all three of our VCs with similar stones and as two of them lived beyond the events for which they received their VCs this meant that, sadly, they could not all be together at the war memorial.

And we felt then and still do that they should all be honoured in Thatcham together.

For this reason they will not be at the war memorial but will be honoured jointly in one place for their heroism in three separate wars – the South African (Boer War) 18991902, the Great War 1914-18 and the Second World War 1939-1945.

OWEN E JEFFERY

Chairman, Thatcham Town Centre Committee

Liberal Democrat councillor