William McCrea – 2014 Parliamentary Question to the Ministry of Defence

The below Parliamentary question was asked by William McCrea on 2015-01-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, if he will take steps to make a formal public acknowledgement of the sacrifice made by British troops deployed to Afghanistan in recent years.

Mr Mark Francois

British Service personnel served with great courage and distinction throughout the Afghanistan campaign. As the Prime Minister has made clear, the UK military personnel who sadly paid the ultimate price will never be forgotten. Neither will this Government forget those who were injured in the course of their Service.

In addition to the many public acknowledgements, Defence has rewarded the bravery and sacrifice of those who served in Afghanistan through the awarding of medals to those who deployed. Further, the names of those who have lost their lives are recorded on the Armed Forces Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum (NMA). In addition, the Bastion Wall monument is in the process of being replicated at the NMA, with a re-dedication service to be held later this year.

In November 2014, the Prime Minister announced plans for a monument to those who served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. This work is being taken forward by an independent committee, chaired by Lord Stirrup and supported by the Ministry of Defence, with fundraising led by The Sun newspaper. Our hope is that the monument will be unveiled in 2016.