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Post by Luther Moore on Sept 30, 2011 18:21:53 GMT 12
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Post by oggie2620 on Oct 1, 2011 8:39:55 GMT 12
I think that the Govt should be ashamed..
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Post by jonesy on Oct 1, 2011 10:26:54 GMT 12
Agree. What an insult to the brave guys that put their lives on the line for England,(my father included) why is it that these sort of memorials have to go thru such trials and tribulations to get some recognition?
GRRR
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 1, 2011 11:43:33 GMT 12
Unbelievable. The public should be out in the streets of London protesting this nonsense.
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Post by jonesy on Oct 1, 2011 11:45:40 GMT 12
Unbelievable. The public should be out in the streets of London protesting this nonsense. The public in London are largely ignorant of how lucky they are not to be speaking German right now... |
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Post by Dave Homewood on Oct 1, 2011 11:50:57 GMT 12
Most of the public of London can't speak English now that I think of it.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Oct 2, 2011 10:33:09 GMT 12
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Post by Luther Moore on Feb 9, 2012 23:23:35 GMT 12
A Telegraph appeal raised more than £10 million from readers towards the estimated £60 million cost of the monument but campaigners behind the project faced a tax bill of almost £800,000.
The Prime Minister announced that the Government would provide a grant to cover the bill and the memorial is now expected to open in Green Park, near Buckingham Palace, in June.
The RAF Bomber Command Association has been campaigning for a permanent memorial to the 55,573 crew who lost their lives during the war.
Although the project has attracted controversy, Germany has agreed to donate a yew tree to be planted in the garden of remembrance next to the memorial.
Mr Cameron said: “The 55,573 bomber crewmen killed in World War Two made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of our country.
“I’m delighted there will now be a permanent memorial to these heroes and that the Government grant will help to cover the tax bill.”
The Telegraph launched its Forgotten Heroes appeal in 2008.
The target of £5 million for the project was finally reached after major donations from John Caudwell, the mobile phone entrepreneur who sold his Phones4u business in 2005, and Lord Ashcroft.
The RAF Bomber Command Association has campaigned to be exempted from an £800,000 tax bill. Although this is not possible, the Government announced a one-off capital grant of £796,000 towards the creation of the memorial on top of £204,000 already agreed, taking the total to more than £10 million.
The heritage minister, John Penrose, said: “The sacrifice made by everyone who served, and the many who lost their lives, with Bomber Command during the war humbles us all.
“Their courage and heroism helped win the war, so it is absolutely right that this should be marked with a permanent memorial.
“These government grants will settle the tax bill that the campaigners will have to pay, so the public’s donations will all go to fund the memorial, rather than to the tax man.”
Jim Dooley, the chairman of the memorial fund-raising committee, said: “This is fantastic news. Everyone involved will be delighted that David Cameron has agreed that the Government should foot the tax bill.”
Until now, there has been no national memorial to the men of Bomber Command. Veterans believe they have been victims of political correctness and even Winston Churchill tried to distance himself from the policy of area bombing of cities. No campaign medal was issued for the bomber offensive, despite its airmen suffering the worst casualty rate of any unit in the war.
Designed by the architect Liam O’Connor, the memorial is being built from Portland stone and features a bronze centrepiece of the seven crew of a heavy bomber, by the sculptor Philip Jackson.
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Post by flyjoe180 on Feb 10, 2012 7:49:50 GMT 12
That is good news Luther. Good to see the British Government stumping up the cash for something truly worthwhile. And good on the Telegraph and its readers too, without their fundraising I wonder if the government would have provided the grant necessary to complete the memorial. Germany's tree will be a nice touch also.
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