§ Lord Burlisonasked Her Majesty's Government:
What progress has been made to the proposed siting of the new national Armed Forces memorial to service personnel killed since the Second World War. [HL3364]
§ Lord BachA project team was appointed early last year to look at potential sites for the memorial and to consider the qualifying criteria for those to be commemorated. Extensive research was carried out on suitable sites both in and outside London. There has been wide consultation with the service and ex-service organisations on both the siting and eligibility criteria. There is general support for the proposals.
We are delighted to be able to confirm that the Armed Forces memorial will be sited at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire. The names of those commemorated will either be engraved on the memorial or in rolls of honour that will be kept close by in the Millennium Chapel at the arboretum. The design of the memorial will be decided following an architectural competition that will be held later this year.
The qualifying criteria for inclusion on the memorial are:
"All those Service personnel who were killed on duty whilst performing functions attributable to the special circumstances and requirements of the Armed Forces, or as a result of terrorist attack, and all those who died whilst deployed on designated operations."
"Those members of the Royal Fleet Auxiliary and the Merchant Navy who were killed in conflict 15WA zones while in direct support of the Armed Forces will also be included on the memorial."
An additional part of the project will be to erect a memorial plaque in the Cloisters of Westminster Abbey to those members of the Armed Forces killed in conflict since the end of the Second World War. Finally, there will be rolls of honour recording the names of all members of the Royal Navy and the Army who have died in service during this period. These will be kept in suitable churches in London and will be similar to those for the Royal Air Force that are kept in the Church of St Clement Danes.
Trustees of the Armed Forces memorial trust will now be appointed to take this project forward. They will take on the ownership of the memorial and will be responsible for its funding and construction. Funds will be raised by public subscription.
This is a very important national project that will also provide a platform to help educate our younger generations about the value of our Armed Forces.