What the Memorial means to ....
Tricia Wall of Nottingham, whose husband Company Sergeant Major Colin Wall was killed in Basra, Iraq in 2003 and whose name appears on the Memorial, said:
"The Memorial has come to mean a great deal to all of the family and especially our son Alex, who was just 11 months old at the time of his dad’s death. We'll always be incredibly proud of Colin and this magnificent place is an awe-inspiring tribute that will forever honour him and the thousands of other men and women who have lost their lives serving their country."
Jill McLachlan, wife of Corporal Robin McLachlan who was killed in 2003, cut the first turf with her two daughters before construction of the Memorial started in August 2006. She said:
"Robin served bravely in difficult circumstances in both Northern Ireland and Bosnia. We were absolutely shocked and devastated to lose him in a road accident while posted in Germany, especially as he never got to see our youngest daughter, Kirsty.
"The Memorial provides a very fitting recognition of both his sacrifice and that of his family. Our daughters will come back here year-after-year, and in time their families will too."
Jenny Green OBE is a trustee and vice patron of the Armed Forces Memorial and former chairman of the War Widows Association of Great Britain. Her husband, Group Captain Bill Green, was killed 18 years ago and his body was never recovered. For her, with no grave or headstone to visit, the Memorial has a very great significance. She said:
"Unlike many, my son and daughter were lucky to have been old enough to have known their father and have memories which give comfort as the years pass. Now my son has a new baby son of his own, and I know that in time he will bring him here to see and hear about the grandfather he never knew.
"This memorial is a special place in which to honour our loved ones, a place to reflect with pride on their ultimate sacrifice, to remember them and to see others remembering them. However, it is far more than just a monument. It has a serenity and beauty of its own, yet it comes alive when within its walls, people use it and walk, sit and think. To see families and friends touching the names of their lost loved ones is incredibly moving."
The video below was prepared to coincide with the engraving of 102 additional names onto the Armed Forces Memorial in June 2008. These are the names of the UK Servicemen and women killed while on duty during 2007.
