A NEW attempt is to be made to persuade the Royal British Legion to back the moving of Tavistock's war memorial from outside the Guildhall to the parish churchyard. writes George Black.
Supporters of the scheme say that the churchyard on the corner of Bedford Square and Plymouth Road would be a far better site.
The idea has been opposed by the legion's local branch up to now, arguing that the war dead were of many denominations — and none — and so the memorial should not stand on Church of England land.
But former mayor John Philpott said this week he would try to swing the legion behind the campaign to move the memorial at its annual meeting on November 17. One of his visual aids will be this photographer's impression of what it would look like.
'It looks very natural in this superimposition,' he said. 'I hope it will help to convince them.'
Mr Philpott, who is also president of the local branch of the Royal Marines' Association, said all members 'who could get out of their sick-beds' would go along to give him support at the legion's annual meeting.
He said he wanted a garden of remembrance established next to the memorial.
Against the view that the memorial should not be handed over to the Church of England, he pointed out that the churchyard was public land and that people of other denominations were buried there.
Campaigners for the move say that the memorial was originally intended to be in the churchyard.
This plan was approved unanimously by a public meeting in February 1919, but a public appeal did not raise enough money so in November 1920 the project was downscaled and moved to a cheaper site.
Mr Philpott said there was now a national fund for war memorials, which Tavistock should make use of while it lasted. There are plenty of precedents for moving memorials, he noted. 'Bodmin did it, we can do it.'
l See story, page 3.