Date set for name to go on memorial

I can assure her that Test Valley Borough Council (TVBC) are in no way at fault for this.

This is essentially my project, although it would not have been possible without the help and facilitation of TVBC, particularly Kevin Harrington.

I have been working with Kevin since 2011 to develop plans to commemorate Reginald and around 30 other ‘missing’ casualties from that conflict, including a number of women.

Such proposals are never easy to achieve quickly. Agreement was needed from a number of parties, including the Royal British Legion, before Reginald’s name could be added to the cenotaph.

We had initially aimed for 4 August this year – the centenary of Britain’s entry into the war – as the date for the unveiling. However, this was not possible as a number of permissions were not in place.

Neither Remembrance Sunday nor Armistice Day were ever considered as alternatives. It was my opinion that the unveiling would be lost in the general commemorations those days represent and that after all this time Reginald deserved to be remembered in his own right. In any case because the cenotaph is a Grade II listed monument permission to make any alteration was also required from the relevant Secretary of State and this was not received until very recently.

With all the necessary permissions now in place I have suggested that 7 February, 2015 – the 95th anniversary of Reginald’s death – would be an ideal date for his name to be added to the town’s roll of honour. This is a Saturday and as Reginald died at precisely 3.20pm it seems fitting to hold the ceremony that afternoon with the unveiling to coincide with the exact time of his death.

Kevin and I are now working towards this end and we hope to be able to confirm the details in the New Year. But be assured, Reginald Robbins, and those other ‘missing’ casualties, have not been forgotten.

Craig Fisher, Berry Way, Andover