I WAS pleased to see, from the Times (May 17) that the public will be consulted and have a free vote on whether Tavistock's war memorial should be moved from its present site to the parish churchyard.

At this year's town meeting the issue was raised and I was saddened to note that the only voices in opposition to such a move were some members of the Royal British Legion.

I was always under the impression that such an organisation was committed to acting in the best interest of former servicemen and the fallen of world conflicts when engaged in action for their country. One would have thought that a move to the Tavistock churchyard offers a greater dignity and respect to our fallen comrades that the current placement in a car park, away from mainstream of Tavistokians and visitors and adjacent to public toilets.

Such a move would also grant the wishes of those parents, loved ones and contributors to the Tavistock war memorial fund who expressly wished that the memorial should be in the churchyard, only lack of money in times of great hardship after the war preventing sufficient funds being raised.

The costs of moving the memorial today would be met by means of grant aid from various national agencies and I do hope that there will be a majority of this town who wish for those original aspirations for commemoration of the Tavistock fallen to be granted.

A E Mettler

Courtenay Road

Tavistock

AS A born and bred Tavistokian and born the year the war memorial was erected and having served throughout world war two with the Tavistock TA Battery I would like to add my views on the above subject of moving the war memorial.

You reported Cllr Williams in last week's paper saying 'There are no bones beneath it, it is not a grave'. I would like to point out that the churchyard is full of bones and graves, which would be disturbed if the memorial is moved there.

As to talk about car parking and toilets by the memorial, it was there before either. The corner by the memorial could be converted into a little rest area at less cost and with only the loss of three parking spaces. As to the public toilets, we all need them at times and I can remember when Tavistock had more of them than there are at present.

I say leave the memorial where it is, not change for the sake of change, we have seen enough of that in the past.

Les Jackman

14 Armada Court

Ransum Way

Tavistock