Arboretum memorial for Gulf War troops
A permanent memorial for troops who died in the Gulf War will be unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum in Alrewas in February next year.
It will be built in memory of 47 men who died in the conflict, including Shaun Taylor, of Stourbridge and and Kieran Duffy, from Kidderminster.
Volunteers have now generated nearly £90,000. But the fundraising is continuing, with organiser Michael Rowley riding a motorcycle to the hometown and city of every man killed in the conflict to boost the fund.
An event to unveil the memorial is planned for February 28 to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the end of the conflict.
Mr Rowley said it had been a 'long road' to raise the cash to give the fallen a tribute they deserve.
Groundwork would begin later this year at the site, he said.
He added: ""This memorial to the 47 lost is 20 years overdue and we feel it deserves some coverage out of respect for the lives lost and the sacrifice they made, so that it does not become just another forgotten war like the Falklands."
Mr Rowley is riding a motorcycle from the arboretum to hometowns and cities of the 47 men who died, setting off on August 16.
He hopes to visit some of the troops' relatives on his journey.
Other fundraising events are also being staged to boost coffers and pay for the future upkeep of the memorial.
A night of music will be held at the Parkes Hall Social Clubin Parkes Hall Road, Dudley on August 8 from 7pm and volunteers will take part in a charity tandem parachute jump on August 12 in Banbury.
Among the donations was £25,000 from the Ambassador of Kuwait. A group of fundraisers met representatives from the country at the embassy in London and were interviewed for Kuwaiti TV.
The conflict saw coalition forces from 34 nations, led by the United States, fight Iraq after Kuwait was invaded. The memorial will be the latest to be unveiled at the arboretum, which is near the A38 in Alrewas.
The arboretum has become the focus for national remembrance for conflicts involving British servicemen and women.
The Gulf War memorial will be made up of three striking metal structures, which will meet to the top and will incorporate the names of those who died in the conflict.
Private Shaun Taylor, who served with the Staffordshire Regiment, was among those who died in the Gulf War when he was accidentally shot by a fellow soldier.
The 20-year-old's Warrior armoured vehicle, of which he was the driver, was about to go into attack at the start of the ground war when the tragedy happened.
Section leader Corporal Darren Wilson, who was with him when he died, described the soldier as the life and soul of his Warrior vehicle and a very professional soldier.
RAF pilot Flight Lieutenant Kieran Duffy, 24, from Larches Road, Kidderminster, was also killed instantly when his aircraft crashed in the Omani Desert in Saudi Arabia.
A former pupil at Oldswinford Hospital School, Stourbridge, an inquest heard that he was killed during a low-level training flight just before the actual war broke out.
He had been awarded a flying scholarship in 1982, qualified as a pilot while studying for his A-levels and had joined the RAF in 1985.
For more information on the appeal visit www.gulfwarmemorial.co.uk
