Now that we are starting the New Year and the Poppy Appeal is just about complete, may I turn your thoughts back to the unveiling of the new plaques on the town war memorial on Remembrance Sunday.

Many people contributed towards the end result and we need to thank them.

When The Royal British Legion decided that we should honour the names of those who gave their lives during the Second World War and in preparation for, and in conflicts since, 1945, I wrote to the Town Clerk outlining what we should do to achieve this goal.

Sarah was enthusiastic about it and later her deputy Simon.

I was invited to address the joint burial comittee of the town council and Roundway Parish Council who approved, and offered financial support.

I received support from the Gazette, and after my first letter appeared in the paper, the phone started to ring with names and stories. We held a street collection and raised £700 which, added to donations received, paid half of the cost of the six plaques. The town council and Roundway Parish Council provided the rest.

Further help from the Gazette was forthcoming as I read every back issue of the paper from August 1939 until late 1946, checking on names and addresses that had been supplied by victims’ families, and a team of Devizes folk with very long memories.

Thank you to everybody who helped with the project. You know who you are and Devizes owes you an awful lot. Even now there are not many towns in the United Kingdom that have plaques with names as we have.

Next time you are in town, please spare a few minutes to walk along Long Street and spend a few moments at the war memorial. You helped to pay for it. It is a credit to the town. Please be proud of it and remember why it is there.

Bob Shergold, President, Devizes Branch, The Royal British Legion.