Project reflection as we enter final year

As we enter the final stretch of our challenge, it is worth reflecting on the fantastic achievement to date by the people of our town. Thame Remembers crosses or wreaths have been delivered in memory of 177 men who made the ultimate sacrifice in times of conflict, taking the project to 104 separate locations in 14 countries and across four continents.

We have 34 still to go but 20 of those are already allocated so we know the who, how and when by which those will be achieved. That leaves us with 14 still remaining, some of which are eminently doable and for which we hope new volunteers might come forward to visit Jerusalem, Pakistan (Karachi), Denmark (Lemvig), and three in northern Tunisia which has now re-opened as a tourist destination.

Somewhat easier should be the four UK locations – Oxford, Abingdon, Aldershot and Chatham – necessitated by our revised plans to commemorate our Boer War casualties and volunteers for these would also be appreciated.

We accept that we will not be able to get into Iraq so Allan Hickman will deliver a wreath to the CWGC Basra Memorial at Maidenhead. Nor will we be able to get into Libya for Signalman Peter George Campion who is buried at Tobruk, but the Alamein Memorial also covers the campaigns in Libya so he can be commemorated during our visit to Egypt in February.

Towards the end of the project we will identify appropriate alternative places to remember any of the above which remain outstanding, plus two men named on Thame’s War Memorial whose fate remains a mystery.

With that in mind, we plan to take a coach party to the National Arboretum in Staffordshire on Sunday 22nd July. Entrance to the Arboretum is free but there will be a small charge of £10 per person for the coach, leaving Thame at 08:30 and returning approx. 18:15.

More on this in our next newsletter but do reserve the date now.