Young widows plant crosses at Legion Field of Remembrance
05 November 2009
The Royal British Legion's Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey was officially opened by HRH The Duke of Edinburgh today.
Anna Aston from Derbyshire and Amanda Binnie from Northern Ireland, who lost their husbands in Iraq and Afghanistan respectively, were invited by The Royal British Legion, to plant a cross in memory of their late husbands.
Their crosses are a personal tribute to Corporal Russell Aston, who was in the Royal Military Police and was killed in Iraq in June 2003, aged 30, and Acting Sergeant Sean Binnie of the Black Watch 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland, who died in a fire fight with insurgents in Helmand Province in May 2009, aged 22.
Anna Aston was joined by her seven year-old daughter, Pagan. This year, a record 60,000 crosses have been planted in the grounds surrounding the Abbey, each one with a dedication written to a loved one or friend, killed in battle. There is also a special plot of crosses to mark the losses of those men and women who died in Iraq and Afghanistan. Five crosses were planted to mark the death of five British troops, who were killed in Afghanistan on Monday, 3 November.
The National President of The Royal British Legion, Lieutenant General Sir John Kiszely KCB MC said: " It was a great honour to be in attendance at the opening of the Field of Remembrance, and to personally meet Mrs Binnie and Mrs Aston and her daughter Pagan, all of whom know only too well the realities of war.
"The Field of Remembrance is a solemn reminder of the ongoing human cost of conflict and reminds us of the importance of remembering the generations we as a nation have lost."
Event information
5 - 15 November 2009
The Westminster Field is in the grounds of Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square, London SW1. It will be open to visitors daily between 9.00am and 6.00pm from Thursday 5 November until Sunday 15 November.
4 – 15 November 2009
A second Field of Remembrance was officially opened on Wednesday 4 November in Cardiff. Located in Cathays Park, just off King Edward VII Avenue, behind City Hall, it is open to visitors daily between 9.00am and 6.00pm from Thursday 4 November until Sunday 15 November. For more details visit www.poppy.org.uk/dedicate.
