Parachute Regiment & Airborne Forces Memorial

 

The Parachute Regimental Association and the Council of The Parachute Regiment jointly wish to establish a Memorial to the soldiers of the Regiment and associated Airborne units, who have fought together since the inception of Airborne Forces in 1940. The unveiling  is planned for summer 2012.

Our appeal target is £230,000. Donations, which may be GiftAided if appropriate, should be sent to Memorial Appeal, RHQ PARA, Merville Barracks, Colchester CO2 7UT. Or you can donate online.

Cheques should be made out to The Parachute Regiment Charity, and will be held in a designated fund for the Memorial. Please mark clearly that this is your wish.

All donations and pledges are gratefully acknowledged here.

 As work on the clays gets underway, we hope to post photos of work in progress from time to time, and you will be able to follow the creation of the Memorial at this blog. Read about it in The Independent.

 The National Memorial Arboretum (NMA)at Alrewas in Staffordshire is the UK’s Centre of Remembrance and site of the Armed Forces Memorial to those who have died since 1948.

The site attracts 300,000 visitors annually and has become the site of choice for many commemorative monuments to individual arms, regiments and units.

There is no existing national memorial and the NMA is the most appropriate and nationally accessible location for an organisation that has always recruited nationally and has no county allegiance or home.

It will be an important memorial and shrine for all in our wider community, and its role in supporting bereaved families is paramount, especially in light of the continued current conflict.

The site is  in view of the main Armed Forces Memorial, at the junction of tree-lined avenues,  and appropriate for both private remembrance as well as Regimental and Association occasions. 

 Design and construction will be of the highest quality.  Two bronze statues will be linked  in one overall composition with pedestals and paving in Portland Stone: a standing paratrooper in jump order for the Regiment itself and Bellerophon astride Pegasus, the traditional badge worn to denote Airborne Forces.

Our sculptors chosen in a four-way competition are Mark Jackson and Charlie Langton. Their past work may be seen at their websites at www.jackoart.com and www.charlielangtonart.com