New memorial to be created in Wirral to soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan

May 13 2011 By Lorna Hughes

A NEW memorial is being created in Wirral to honour members of the Armed Forces killed in conflicts in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Gulf War.

The memorial, which will be unveiled in September, will be located near regimental plaques and the Cenotaph in Hamilton Square, Birkenhead.

Although the new memorial will focus on soldiers killed after 1945, it will also be used to commemorate those who died in the First and Second World Wars, but whose names are not inscribed on the existing memorials in Hamilton Square.

The names of servicemen and women killed after the Second World War are already on a plaque at Wallasey Town Hall and a memorial on Grange Hill, West Kirby.

But this will be the first time Wirralians killed in every major conflict will be honoured in Hamilton Square, which is already the setting for Wirral’s Remembrance Day ceremony every November and other events to honour the borough’s serving soldiers.

Families of Wirral soldiers killed in Afghanistan said it was a fitting place to remember their loved ones.

Helen Fisher’s cousin, Douglas "Dougie" Halliday, 20, of Rock Ferry, died in Afghanistan last June when the vehicle he was travelling in overturned into a canal.

She said: "I think the memorial is fantastic and a really positive thing.

"In many ways, Hamilton Square is the memorial centre for Wirral.

"It’s a focal point and the Mercians also march through there. I think it’s important for their names to be there. Wirral Council have really kept us up to date about what’s happening with the memorial and all praise to them for that."

Other names on the memorial will include Private Alex Isaac, from Eastham, who died alongside Pte Halliday and Prenton soldier Corporal Steven Boote, who was killed in service in Afghanistan in 2009.

Work will begin this month on the new memorial which is expected to take the form of flat pieces of stone placed along the kerb around the cenotaph.

Work has already been carried out to realign existing regimental plaques which are set into the grass by the Cenotaph.

Cllr Jeff Green, leader of Wirral Council, said: "Birkenhead and Hamilton Square is the place where we as an authority hold a service of remembrance every November.

""We know that the people of Wirral feel very passionately about the servicemen and women that have fought in these conflicts and are serving at the moment.

"I think it’s very important that we honour the fallen."

A spokesman for Wirral Council said: "We are aware that there are a number of First World War fallen that have yet to have their names inscribed upon the memorial.

"This is also the case for the Merchant Navy personnel during both WW1 and WW11

"A list of the fallen is being compiled and will be added onto the new Hamilton Square memorial once complete.

"This is a large task and will take some time to co-ordinate with the relevant authorities."