Last updated 19:42, Thursday, 01 May 2008

GRAPHIC images from battle zones in Iraq and Afghanistan provide a constant reminder of the fragility of our servicemen’s lives.

Every time we hear of the death of a British soldier we stop and think of their families at home.

It is how it should be; our armed forces are a jewel in this country’s crown, ensuring that hard won freedoms are part of our modern world. Their lives are being put on the line for our sakes.

It is quite remarkable, therefore, that Workington’s Vulcan Park war memorial, unveiled in 1928, never contained names of the town’s war dead.

The project to have that omission put right, and to get the names of all the town’s war dead incorporated into a new roll of honour, has been a massive but ultimately fulfilling task for all those involved.

When Workington’s new war memorial is unveiled on Sunday, May 11, bearing all 882 names, it will be a proud day for this town.

The roll will place the names of First World War victims alongside those of the Second World War and later campaigns, right up to that of Kingsman Danny Wilson who lost his life in Iraq just last year.

The families of those local heroes and heroines will finally have a more fitting focal point for their remembrance.

Well done to World War Two veteran Ben Evans, of Salterbeck, for providing the inspiration for this project, and to Workington Town Council for taking the initiative to make this memorial happen.

As town mayor Nik Hardy quite aptly says: “We are now able to honour them as people, and remember them as individuals.”