Clock to honour town servicemen chimes with traders
A 16-FOOT clock dedicated to servicemen is to be put up in a town.
The Heroes Clock will pay tribute to the men and women of Stafford who have served their country in conflict.
Stafford has a long military tradition and is the home to the 22 Signal Regiment of the British Army and the Tactical Supply Wing of the Royal Air Force.
Both units have been granted Freedom Of The Borough.
The four-faced, George Pillar Clock will be built in the town's Mill Street – a move that has been welcomed by local businesses. A plaque on the clock will be dedicated to the only Stafford man to have been awarded the Victoria Cross. Charles Pye was born in the Forebridge area of Stafford in 1820 and won the VC for outstanding bravery when he was 37.
Mayor of Stafford Borough, Councillor Malcolm Millichap, pictured, is to perform a ribbon cutting ceremony for the clock later this month.
The clock is the final piece in the jigsaw of improvement works in Mill Street.
It has cost £13,000 and has been paid for by the borough council as part of the first stage of a three-year programme of enhancements.
The idea came from local trader, Anthony Rogers, from Peter Rogers Photography.
He said: "We wanted to provide a focal point for the street.
"We thought it would be good to dedicate it to the brave men and women of the town especially as Stafford has such a long and proud military tradition." Ross Parker, of fishmongers Parkers of Stafford, said: "To call it The Heroes Clock will help remind people of that very important part of our community who serve their country with great courage."
Charles Pye earned the VC in November 1857 during action at the Indian city of Lucknow for 'bringing up the ammunition to the mess house, and on every occasion when the regiment was engaged.'
He died aged 56 in 1876 from bronchitis.
Comments
by Lazarus, North Staffs
Thursday, November 04 2010, 7:25AM
“Three Cheers for the daftest idea of the last 200 years, let¿s celebrate the deaths of ordinary scared terrified individuals who have been blown up bayoneted slashed sliced and shot on behalf of the ambitions and needs of the few in Government, not fighting tyranny but economic gain.
If this Government allowed us to see as they used to the effects daily of war on the soldier and on the indigenous population of places like Afghanistan the mutilations the gore all live, we would soon have that lot back here, heroes never heard such propagandist tripe.
They don¿t show this because of the Americans experience in Vietnam, you saw this invasive sterilisation of warfare through the media creep in Grenada and incursions in the 1st Gulf War, we are NEVER going to be allowed to see kids running up the road with their skin hanging off their backs, of course done by one of our so called HEROES.
Yea put up a clock you BUFFOONS”