Name missing from memorial Slough:
Permission given to add Lance Corporal Howkins
A new sixth-form block has been unveiled at a Windsor Girls' School by a special royal visitor.
The Imperial Road school received a visit from the Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Edward along with mayor Councillor Neil Knowles on Tuesday, January 16 in what was described as an ‘important event in the history of the school’.
Co-headteachers of the Windsor school and CEO of Windsor Learning Partnership (WLP), Gavin Henderson, welcomed the Duke at the new site for senior students.
Prince Edward took the opportunity to speak with Year 13 art students who were showcasing their work, while head girl and deputy head girl Ruby Brown and Ellen Hammersley escorted him to the new building.
The school choir performed two songs for the royal guest and several students undertaking the Duke of Edinburgh Award spoke about their past and future expeditions.
His Royal Highness finally unveiled a plaque, officially opening the new Gill Labrum Sixth Form Block, named after founding CEO of WLP and former Windsor
Girls’ School headteacher, Gill Labrum.
All students watched the livestreamed event during classes.
Assistant headteacher Waqas Arbi said: “This day was a truly spectacular event, and we want to thank His Royal Highness for opening our Sixth Form building, our esteemed guests for attending and our wonderful staff and students for all their hard work.”
More than 300 fallen soldiers from two World Wars are inscribed on the war memorial outside St Mary’s Church in Slough, but there is one name missing.
Ron Harman, 88, has long advocated to get the ‘missing’ man – his uncle and Second World War veteran, Lance Corporal William J Howkins – added to the memorial.
Planning permission has now been granted to add LCpl Howkins, who is commemorated for his heroics on a bridge he fought at in Belgium, but not in his hometown.
LCpl Howkins, born in
1914 in Stoke Gardens, Slough, fought for the British Army in campaigns against the Nazis from Europe to Africa – including service with the Desert
Rats.
Ron, also a Slough native, described the remarkable story of how his uncle ‘Bill’ had received the Military Medal for his service in 1944.
“He was a Royal Engineer, Sappers as they call them,” said Ron.
“There were 14 of them and they had taken this bridge in Wettern (Belgium).
“While the main force had left following after the retreating Germans, Bill and the others were left to demobilise bombs and mines around the bridge.”
However, unknown to the engineers, a company of enemy soldiers had lagged behind the retreating forces and caught them unaware.
Ron said: “These 14 men held his bridge until a dispatch rider was able to get back to the main force and they were eventually brought back.
“At one stage he was actually in crossfire from the flanks and he sent his mates back and said, you go, I will finish this [deactivating the mines] up – and he actually did it.”
LCpl Howkins was wounded in the fighting and died several days later.
Before he died, he was visited by his commander where he was bestowed the Military Medal for his exploits, a prestigious award particularly in this case as Ron explained.
“The Military Medal and is about three down from the Victoria Cross. It’s a very high ranking medal,” said Ron.
“He was a remarkable soldier and he was one of the very few that were actually awarded a medal in the field.
“Medals can be awarded one of two months later but to get an award, regardless of what status, given in the field is quite rare and shows he must’ve done something heroic.”
Ron said his uncle was recognised on a stone plaque next to the Wettern bridge where his uncle fought.
Despite this, Ron, a former Royal Marine and Special Boat Service soldier, has fought his own battle to get Bill on the memorial.
Although planning permission has now been granted, he said the job wasn’t done yet.
Malcolm Hellings, who submitted the planning permission, said an ecclesiastical church meeting (involving a Bishop) would have to approve and a stone mason would need to be funded to carry out the work.
“I’ve been working on it for many years, it's a sort of anti-climax for me,” said Ron.
“A thing like that [adding Bill to the memorial], I should’ve thought that would be sorted out in a few weeks not years. I’ve spoken to MPs about it, and councillors.
“I’m pleased it’s been approved of course but we still don’t know if it’s going to happen.”
He added: “I look forward to the day when I can go to the church and see this hard work has been worth it.”