Indeed, and I would like to say how very good it is that the Council listened and reacted swiftly on this one.
I received a personal message from Cllr Philpott about this, and responded with one to her.
I'm absolutely certain the Committee meant well, but unfortunately had simply misjudged the many meanings and the strength of feeling that there is about the War Memorial. (Having met so many veterans and relatives and friends of our lost ones over many years now, and across the globe, I believe there was a very real risk of not only upsetting people, but even of creating grave offence.)
All is well that ends well, though. I would like to thank the many people who responded so quickly with their views. It was so important that individual views should be made known. Demanded and created in honour, remembrance, and love by our individual forebears, the War Memorial is passed on in trust to us for our own future generations ... it's one space that truly belongs to us all and on which we should all be able to speak.
I really too would like to express here that the Council and the Committee deserve praise for their understanding and for their swift reaction when views were expressed to them. Thank you for dealing with this so quickly, and thank you for listening.
