I WOULD like to reply to Brian Forrest’s letter headed ‘Village Memorial’ from the Advertiser of July 20.

I have some friendly advice for him, but firstly I’d like to say thank you to him for supporting our campaign to return the war memorial to the High Street.

Brian, if you set up a business called ‘Moving our War Memorial’ you will be entitled to a £750 grant from Test Valley Borough Council after just six months! If you then write a letter to Phil North, Leader of TVBC or ‘Mr Fixit All’ as I now like to call him, he might just suggest, as his predecessors did at Andover Borough Council in 1956 regarding our war memorial, that he would be prepared to move your Memorial to Over Wallop churchyard where it would be out of sight — out of mind!

He might even suggest TVBC buying the piece of land inside the churchyard to put it on. Unfortunately, a few graves and headstones would have to be removed to make way for it as in 1956! If the land where the monument stands at the moment could be used by TVBC to build seniors’ flats — all the better!

Don’t bother starting a petition because TVBC will not recognise it as being signed by real people, probably because their councillors have never met them! I am truly sorry the young of Wallop are not respecting your war memorial as they should, but I am pleased to say after our campaign in 2010, the young of Andover now know more about our war memorial and are of the opinion it should be returned to the High Street. Oh, and TVBC don’t believe in opinion polls unless it’s their own.

Our own Craig Fisher has done a brilliant job on a weekly basis in the Advertiser, naming and describing the lives of each of the brave men on our war memorial, something we did not have previously!

I would like to dedicate this letter, if published, to the late Russell Tarrant who sadly passed away last week. The man foremost in the hearts of the original Andover People and more. The thorn in the side of the power of TVBC.

The pioneer who sowed the seeds in the minds of the young of Andover about the wrong doing to take our mighty war memorial and put it out of sight — out of mind in the churchyard. You won’t be out of sight out of mind, Russell Tarrant — you will never be forgotten just like those brave men on the war memorial.

RIP Russell.

Ron Wood, Bridge Street, Andover.