Duke and Duchess of Gloucester at dedication of names on Armed Forces Memorial
20 June 2009
This afternoon, at a poignant annual event held within the walls of the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum, the recently engraved names of the 66 Service men and women who lost their lives on duty during 2008 were dedicated.
Bereaved families were joined by Their Royal Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester who were representing Her Majesty the Queen. The Duke and Duchess have visited UK Forces in Iraq and Afghanistan on several occasions. Defence Minister, Baroness Ann Taylor, represented the Government.
Baroness Taylor said: "The names of those 66 Service men and women that gave their lives in 2008 have been carved in stone at the Armed Forces Memorial in a fitting tribute to their bravery and heroism. Their names will endure so that they can always be remembered."
During the service the 66 names (see list below) were read aloud by Major General Garry Robison (Royal Navy and Royal Marines), Lieutenant General Bill Rollo (Army) and Air Marshall Simon Bryant (RAF). The Royal Party, Baroness Taylor and the families then laid wreaths next to the recently engraved names.
The service was led by former Bishop to the Armed Forces, The Right Reverend John Kirkham assisted by Chaplain General (Land Forces), the Venerable Stephen Robbins and Honorary Chaplain to the Arboretum, the Reverend Simon Lumby.
The Arboretum, supported by The Royal British Legion, honours the fallen, recognises sacrifice and fosters pride in the country. Already home to around 150 memorials, the Prime Minister recently confirmed that the dismantled Basra Memorial Wall is to be relocated there.
The Armed Forces Memorial is the nation’s tribute to the 16,000 servicemen and women who have died on duty, or as a result of terrorism, since shortly after the end of the Second World War. The towering Portland Stone walls of the Memorial are added to in May each year.
The Memorial also recognises and acknowledges the courage of family and friends left behind. It plays a valuable role in supporting the bereaved as they manage their loss through different stages in their lives.
View the video of the rededication below (Video Production by RAWvideo and hosted on YouTube for The Royal British Legion).
For more information:
Andrew Baud, Royal British Legion, 07775 715775, andrew.baud@talapr.co.uk
Note to Editors: The centrally-located National Memorial Arboretum, home to the striking Armed Forces Memorial, comprises 150 acres of trees and memorials devoted to the theme of remembrance. It is free to enter and situated near Lichfield and within the National Forest in Staffordshire. http://www.thenma.org.uk/
The Arboretum, which has seen the planting 50,000 trees, was established in 1997 on former sand and gravel workings restored by Lafarge and leased to the Arboretum on a peppercorn rent. It is part of The Royal British Legion family and receives assistance from the Ministry of Defence.
| 2008 Names | |||
| Royal Navy Mark Hipkin Damian Mulvihill David Marsh John Thornton Dale Gostick Philip Smith Christopher Johnstone Jamie Hutton Benjamin Poole Neil Dunstan Robert McKibben Alexander Lucas Tony Evans Georgie Sparks Marc Birch Damian Davies Steven Fellows John Manuel Robert Deering Benjamin Whatley Liam Elms |
Army Darryl Gardiner Damian Lawrence Nicholas Brown Scott Mugridge Robert Pearson Alexander Blake Ratu Babakobau James Thompson Vincent Hussell Mark Reynolds Nathan Cuthbertson Daniel Gamble Charles Murray James Bateman Jeff Doherty Sarah Bryant Richard Larkin Sean Reeve Paul Stout Joseph Whittaker Michael Williams |
Army (cont) Craig Wilson Daniel Shirley James Johnson Jason Barnes Kenneth Rowe Jonathan Mathews Peter Cowton Wayne Bland Barry Dempsey Justin Cupples Gary O'Donnell GM & Bar Jason Rawstron Nicky Mason James Munday Yubraj Rai Krishnabahadur Dura Terik Lines David Wilson Lee Churcher Aaron Lewis Stuart Nash |
Royal Air Force Duane Barwood Graham Livingstone Gary Thompson |
The names are engraved without ranks in sections for the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force, and then by date of death.
The Duke and Duchess of Gloucester
The Duke of Gloucester visited British troops in Iraq in September 2006 at Basra Air Station and Shaibah Logistic Base, notably as Colonel in Chief of The Royal Anglian Regiment and as Deputy Colonel in Chief The Royal Logistic Corps.
In June 2007 he visited UK forces in Afghanistan. At Kandahar Airbase, as an Honorary Air Marshal, he visited RAF elements as well as UK ground troops. This was followed by a further visit to RAF personnel and soldiers of The Royal Anglian Regiment at Camp Bastion.
October 2008 saw His Royal Highness visit Iraq (returning to both Basra and Shaibah) and Afghanistan. On the latter occasion The Duke of Gloucester, Colonel in Chief The Royal Army Medical Corps, opened the Field Hospital at Camp Bastion.
His Royal Highness has also visited both Selly Oak Hospital and Hedley Court as Colonel in Chief of The Royal Army Medical Corps.
The Duchess of Gloucester visited British Forces in Basra in December 2008 as Deputy Colonel in Chief of The Adjutant General’s Corps and as Colonel in Chief of The Royal Army Dental Corps.
