Bricklayers needed to help veterans finish war memorial

Veterans are appealing for bricklayers to help them finish a long-planned memorial to military personnel who lost their lives in the last 70 years.

They have planning permission for their memorial at Severn Beach near Bristol and have been donated materials, but work has stopped due to a lack of skilled tradespeople.

The memorial has been designed by a local group of veterans who feel the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire is too far away..

"We need something for our small wars, for all veterans," said project manager Roger Moseley.

Mr Moseley, who has been working on the project for three years, said: “The quicker we get a bricklayer in, the quicker the monument will be completed."

The idea for the structure came from the group who meet every month, and want to remember veterans from their generation.

When finished, it will consist of three oak pillars, representing the Army, Navy and Air Force, and have explanation plaques placed on it.

"Once we get the bricklayers in, the rest of it will come easily, the project is being held up at the moment," said Mr Mosely.

"Everything after Korea [the 1950s conflict] is forgotten.

"It’s hard to get contractors to do the work that we need - they haven’t got free time because they’re so busy," he added.

War veteran Jeff Whateley, 71, who served between 1965 and 1971, said the memorial will create more awareness of the sacrifices made by armed forces personnel.

“I think the more people see it - that’ll mean so much to me, that more people know about British servicemen and women who died."

He said it will represent all conflicts, including those in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Falklands.

“Young people today need to know what has happened since 1945," he said.

Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630.