Fundraising drive for 'Staffordshire 3' memorial
A fundraising drive towards a permanent memorial to three servicemen killed in Iraq is being spearheaded by one of their comrades.
Pte Phillip Hewett, 21, Pte Leon Spicer, 26, both of Tamworth, Staffordshire, and 2nd Lt Richard Shearer, 26, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, were killed in Al Amarah in July 2005 when a roadside bomb exploded near their Land Rover.
Anthony Firth, from Tamworth, who has been leading efforts for the monument, served alongside the men in the Staffordshire Regiment and was on patrol with them when they were killed.
Pte Spicer’s mum Birdie Spicer said it would be "absolutely fantastic" to have a memorial in Tamworth where she and her husband Christopher raised their children and have so many memories.
She said her son had lived life to the full, loved his family and had a heart of gold.
"He was always on about joining the army,” she said. "He was determined to go and bless him he did it and lived his dream.
"He said 'I don’t want to be here learning how to carry coffins, I want to be out there with my mates'."
Mr Firth is chairman of the "The Staffordshire 3" fundraising group which aims to have the memorial ready in time for the 20th anniversary of their deaths in July 2025.
The 40-year-old said: “It was an absolutely horrendous evening. A small explosion to start with, knowing that UK forces will always go and investigate, Mr Shearer’s call sign came over the net saying that it was close to them and they would go and investigate.
"Less than 10 minutes later, the loudest explosion and flash that I’ve ever seen in my life."
The group has already raised £30,000 of a £38,000 target for the memorial which will be placed on the Mercian Foundation Bench at Castle Grounds.
The small monument will also have its own QR code which will direct people to an interactive website where people can learn about the three soldiers.
The planned design includes three knots for the Staffordshire Regiment and three bayonets.
“The Mercian Foundation Bench is an absolutely beautiful structure and this monument will give friends, family, former colleagues and the community somewhere to come, sit, pause, reflect [and] remember," Mr Firth added.
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