British Legion wants Captain Guy's name on war memorial

Alex Bentley, service secretary with Skipton branch of the Royal British Legion, wants a commemorative plaque to be unveiled on the cenotaph at the top of the High Street after a dedication service in Holy Trinity Church.

He said the Royal Marines had pledged to attend the service and he hoped that the band would then march to the cenotaph for the ceremony.

Around 2,000 people lined the streets and churchyard for Capt Guy's funeral on April 11. The 29-year-old Royal Marine - pictured - was one of the first casualties of the war in Iraq. Hundreds listened to the service relayed by loudspeaker and Union flags were flown as a mark of respect.

Mr Bentley, who represents Skipton East on the county council, told the Craven Herald: "There is no way on this earth that I am not going to achieve a plaque for Capt Guy."

Mr Bentley, who served in the Royal Military Police and the Royal Artillery as well as the Royal Marines, said of Capt Guy: "He was a serving soldier who died in action and this has to be done properly.

"We must remember him in the town. All the people of Skipton will want to remember him. The number of people who turned out for his funeral proves how strong local feeling is."

He said the Royal Marines had agreed to a dedication service in Holy Trinity Church for Capt Guy that could be followed by the Marines' band marching through the town and ending up at the cenotaph for the unveiling of a plaque.

Mr Bentley said the political will was there to put up the plaque and that the Royal British Legion would probably fund it. The Skipton branch was meeting last night (Thursday) to discuss the matter.

He hoped that the dedication service and ceremony could take place by the end of the summer, subject to consent from Capt Guy's family.

Skipton Mayor Andrew Rankine said the town council had unanimously agreed to some form of commemoration for Capt Guy, if his family agreed.

"Every councillor was in favour in principle of recognising the fact that Capt Guy and others in Skipton needed to be commemorated," he said.

Coun Rankine said the council was now investigating to see if it was permissible to put Capt Guy's name on the cenotaph. He believed the monument had been donated privately to the town and there may have been conditions attached to the gift. The council would also be approaching the War Graves Commission.

"If something prevents us from doing that, then an alternative will be looked at," he said. He suggested that a scroll of honour in Holy Trinity Church might be an option but stressed that any commemoration needed careful thought and planning.

Coun Rankine said the council was also checking to see if any other names should be added to a war memorial. No names have been added to the cenotaph since World War One. Fallen soldiers from the Second World War are remembered on memorial gates at the Gargrave Road entrance to Aireville Park.

This was an opportunity to double check that no service people from Skipton who died while on active service had missed being commemorated.

Coun Rankine asked Craven Herald readers to put forward any names of fallen servicemen or women since the Second World War who should be included on a memorial plaque or scroll. "I would hate to miss out anybody," he said.

He asked people to provide the name, rank and service number, with details of where they died and when. The Craven Herald will pass them on to the Town Council.