War Memorial to be Restored!

With the announcement that the Memorial Plaques have been restored after metal thieves had stolen them from The Garden of Remembrance in Wednesfield, it is really pleasing to note that the City Council along with others have been able to get the plaques replaced.

I want to praise Sgt Causer from Wednesfield Police who identified a substantial sum of money held by the police and persuaded the Police Authorities to donate that sum towards the replacement plaques. That action has undoubtedly helped the arrangements be completed on time for this years Remembrance Day celebrations on Remembrance Sunday at St Thomas’s Church.

It has been a great ‘rallying around’ by individuals and organisations like Wednesfield Wood End Royal British Legion, who have been working with Emma Reynolds MP and I, to see if we can identify Wednesfield men and women who gave their lives to the war, yet had not been recognised in the original War Memorial.

We are very much hopeful that when the plaque is unveiled a more fulsome record will be declared for Wednesfield, with the additional family names included of the fallen. In this way we will be able to see some goodness come from such a wicked action ( the stealing of the plaque for monetary gain).

Last Christmas we (My wife Mary & my brother in Law Robert Hill) paid an emotional visit to Singapore to the immaculate War Graves Commission cemetery, where Frank Hill is remembered having been killed in defence of Singapore during the Japanese invasion of the Island in World War Two. We decided that we would visit Singapore on the way to Australia .George Hill my father in law belonged to a large Wednesfield family with relatives in the Halesowen area of the Black Country.

Following research we found that my father in law George Hill’s brother- Frank Hill was commemorated at Kranji War Cemetery, 22 kilometres north of the city of Singapore, on the north side of Singapore Island overlooking the Straits of Johore.Following arrival in Singapore we made straight for the cemetery then the task of finding the grave of Frank Hill. Frank was a Wednesfield man. He died in Singapore fighting a defensive battle for the island at the tender age of 22.

We found his resting place and the memorial in the neatest of war graves cemetery imaginable! It was a beautifully looked after and after some local help we found what we were looking for- after being taken to the site.Whilst we had never met Frank it was nonetheless hugely emotional for the three of us who were gathered at his graveside 69 years on. Frank Hill was a Gunner in 5 Field Regiment, Royal Artillery and he died defending our democracy on the 10th February 1942. He was a 22 year old man born in Wednesfield and deserves like the many thousands of others who gave their lives for their Country to be remembered.We felt very proud of this young man- who none of us had ever met.

Now we will gather on Remembrance Sunday to see the Memorial rededicated and this time a larger gathering of the Family Hill will also be in attendance. I am hoping that my brother in Law named Frank- After his uncle. Will also lay a wreath remembering the fallen who died to create the freedom’s that we all take for granted today!.