Last Friday Prince Harry joined the families of fallen military personnel as one of the iconic memorials to the dead of the Afghanistan war was rededicated on British soil.
Nearly 2,000 people – including the Prime Minister David Cameron, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon, bereaved families, veterans and current servicemen and women – gathered at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire to see the rebuilt Bastion Memorial Wall unveiled.
The original monument at Camp Bastion – hub of the UK operation in Helmand for most of the 13 years the nation was fighting the Taliban – became the focal point for remembrance in theatre.
It was taken down when combat operations ended in December, brought back to Britain and revamped so it could take its place alongside national and international memorials at the arboretum.
Among the family members invited to the rededication was Sean Augustin-Wood, the father of Royal Marine Lt Oliver Richard Augustin of 42 Commando, who was killed by a home-made bomb on patrol in the Loy Mandeh area of the Nad e Ali district in 2011.
“As a family we feel the memorial is a fitting tribute to those that made the ultimate sacrifice,”
said Mr Augustin-Wood.
“It stands as a focal point for all those whose lives changed dramatically through injury and is a place of reflection for the thousands of service people and their families who lost friends and family, but only time will heal their scars.”
Major Kate Philp of the Royal Artillery lost her left leg below the knee due to an improvised explosive device blast damaging her vehicle when serving with 29 Commando Regiment RA in 2008 supporting the Royal Marines. She was invited to give a reading at the investiture.
“This was an important time for us to pause and reflect on the conflict in Afghanistan,” she said. “The National Memorial Arboretum is a fitting place to house collective memories of those we have lost. Remembrance is a very personal thing but being able to come together and share such a beautiful, calming memorial brings us a few steps closer to finding peace with what we’ve been through.”
Up to seven members of each family of those killed in Helmand were invited to attend the service alongside members of all three Armed Forces, plus representatives of countries whose nationals are listed on the memorial, and from Afghanistan.
“The Bastion Memorial will bring comfort to the family members and friends of the British Armed Forces personnel who lost their lives in the Afghanistan conflict – not least because they will know that the memories of their loved ones will live on in this place of remembrance,”
said Sue Freeth, director of operations at the Royal British Legion, the arboretum’s parent charity.
The memorial contains elements of the original structure, such as the cross made of shell cases which has been placed on top of the cairn.
The original memorial plaques have been placed inside the structure and material from the original wall which has been inserted into the foundations, while an engraved map of Afghanistan has been mounted on the rear of the memorial, marking the locations where Britain’s forces served during the 13-year campaign.
Sourced: Royal Navy