A PERMANENT Memorial to honour Swindon's fallen heroes has moved a step forward.

At a public meeting on 9 April 2002 around 30 ex-servicemen and relitives of Swindon's war dead listened to Mayor David Cox's proposals to remember those who had lost their lives in conflicts since the great War.

It was decided to that a wall inscribed with the names and regiments of servicemen from the borough, was probably the best way to honour the war dead. Subject to council approval, the wall will be built in Queen's Park. It was also proposed to add to the cenotaph outside the Town Hall the names of conflicts since 1945 in which Swindonian's have lost their lives. There have been so many in which Swindonian's have lost their lives. We should repay that in kind with a memorial. Its a small price to pay said Councillor Cox.

Dick Stevens, Chairman of the Parachute Regiment Association (Swindon Branch) said: why shouldn't we have a memorial to honour our war heroes. We have got memorials to commemorate the First and Second World Wars but nothing since.

Paul Fennell formally of The Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment (Berkshire and Wiltshire) said: I would like to see people remembered post 1945 as well as before. There have been so many conflicts since then and those who have lost their lives in the name of their country deserved to be remembered.

Councillor Cox thinks he will have no trouble in getting council approval for his plans, but he said there were many small details to finalise. Unless we go out and seek something, it will not be achieved," he said. The hardest part is to get the wheels in motion, but once that happens it will become easier.

Jeffery Phillips, brother of Vince Phillips, the SAS hero who died on the imfamous Bravo Two Zero mission during the Golf conflict, added: "It was good to see that so many people made the effort to come to this meeting. There has to be some kind of recognition, especially for the younger generation. Everybody talks about the two World Wars. Of course it's important to remember them but we must also remember the smaller conflicts that have happened since.

Fred Birch, Secretary of the Parachute Regiment Association(Swindon Branch) said: " We have spoken about a memorial for a long time. The people who died in these conflicts did it for all of us.

At the time of these notes, no further information has become available.