Memorial to three soldiers unveiled

A permanent memorial in memory of three soldiers killed in Iraq more than 20 years ago has been unveiled to the public.

Pte Leon Spicer, 26, Pte Phillip Hewett, 21, both of Tamworth, Staffordshire, and 2nd Lt Richard Shearer, 26, of Nuneaton, Warwickshire, were killed by a roadside bomb in Al Amarah, in July 2005.

More than £50,000 was raised to pay for a lasting tribute in their memory, in a fundraising drive led by one of their comrades, Anthony Frith, who served alongside the men in the Staffordshire Regiment and was on patrol with them when they died.

The "Staffordshire 3" memorial was shown to the public at lunchtime on the lower lawn at Tamworth Castle.

The event began in the morning, followed by the formal unveiling of the two memorials, named "Oaths Taken, Oaths Fulfilled" and "Watchman".

The monument has been created by artist and sculptor Johanna Domke-Guyot, who also previously designed the Victory over Blindness statue for Blind Veterans UK in Manchester.

Frith, 42, who now lives in Atherstone, Warwickshire, said the soldiers' memorial stood at about 91cm (3ft) tall, but would be taller when it was placed on a plinth on top of the Mercian Formation Bench.

He previously told the BBC he wanted the tribute to be a special place for the community to "pause and reflect".

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