Back in 1997 our then Parish Council Chairman Frank Druce BEM, was pleased to accept a wooden memorial bench with commemorative plaque from 8th Battalion Parachute Regiment on behalf of the village. It was dedicated and placed by the bus stop at the south side of the village. A couple of years ago age took its toll and it had to be removed but the plaque was saved by Frank. At a Parish Council meeting a suggestion was made that it should be replaced with a longer lasting metal bench. There was also an aspiration to provide a memorial bench to commemorate the Glider Pilot Regiment and honour the memory of its last Commanding Officer, Brigadier Maurice Sutcliffe OBE, who was also one of the founding senior officers of the Army Air Corps (AAC). Funds were raised via generous donations from locals and the Parachute and Glider Pilot Regiment Associations. A very good deal was struck between David Ogilvy Engineering, the memorial bench manufacturer and the village, however we were still short of the required target. Lt Col Claire Curry AAC at Glebe Farm reported that Brigadier Maurice had left a bequest of £500 in his will, and she could secure it towards the cost of the GPR bench. An appropriate plaque was sourced, and a rededication of the Parachute Regiment Bench took place in February 2020 followed by a ceremony and dedication of the GPR/Sutcliffe bench.
George Murray
