Westminster Bridge terror attack: 'Victims can be too often forgotten'

Travis Frain was visited by the Prince of Wales while he recovered in hospital

A survivor of the Westminster Bridge terror attack is backing plans for a permanent memorial because "victims can be too often forgotten".

Khalid Masood killed four people and injured 50 more on 22 March 2017 when he ploughed his car into crowds on the bridge before stabbing PC Keith Palmer.

Westminster City Council has applied to put up a bronze plaque displaying the names of those who were killed.

"It's important as a society we remember," Travis Frain, 23, said.

Mr Frain, then a politics student, was on a trip to study the workings of the Houses of Parliament when he was hit by Masood's car.

The impact broke his leg but he went on to make a full recovery.

• Westminster Bridge memorial plaque planned

• Westminster attacker was lawfully killed

• Westminster attack: What happened

Monday marks the fourth anniversary of the attack and Mr Frain said: "It may seem like a niche point to people who haven't been through something like this but a plaque is an incredibly important physical act of recognition."

He believes the memorial will ensure a "positive, lasting legacy of remembrance and recognition of the pain and loss endured by so many".

Clockwise from top left: PC Keith Palmer, Aysha Frade, Leslie Rhodes, Andreea Cristea and Kurt Cochran all lost their lives

He added: "Following the attack it's understandable that the perpetrator fills the headlines.

"I think victims can be too often forgotten.

"Every single person on that bridge did not wake up planning to be a victim that day. This could have happened to anyone.

"My hope is by remembering the people we lost, as well as the reactions of the first responders and civilians running in to danger to help people the plaque will ensure it is an empowering memory."

Travis Frain says he has made a full recovery

An inquest in September 2018 heard that the attack lasted for just 82 seconds before Masood was shot dead outside the Houses of Parliament by armed police officers.

In that time, Masood killed Kurt Cochran, 54, from Utah in the USA, Leslie Rhodes, 75, from Clapham, Aysha Frade, 44, from London and Romanian tourist Andreea Cristea, 31, on the bridge, and finally 48-year-old PC Palmer.

Tributes were placed on Parliament Square to mark the fourth anniversary of the Westminster Bridge attack

All five victims will be commemorated on the proposed plaque.

It will also include the message: "This plaque is also laid in recognition of the injury and loss caused to the many other people affected, their bravery, humanity and resilience continues to inspire us."

If approved, it will be placed on the top edge of the south parapet in the middle of Westminster Bridge, which is owned by Transport for London.

A memorial stone for PC Palmer already stands outside the Houses of Parliament.

If approved the memorial will be placed in the middle of Westminster Bridge, near the site where Khalid Masood ploughed his car into crowds

At an online event dedicated to the victims and their families on Sunday, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan condemned the terror attack as "cowardly".

Mr Khan said: ""The awful events of that day were not only an attack on London, but an attack on the freedom and values our country holds dear.

"Our diversity is one of London's greatest strengths and we will continue to honour those who lost their lives by focusing on the values of decency, openness and mutual respect that unite us."

Dame Cressida Dick laid a wreath near the site where PC Palmer was stabbed

On Monday a memorial to PC Keith Palmer was held was held in the grounds of the Palace of Westminster.

Though unarmed, PC Palmer had stopped a knife-wielding Masood from entering the Houses of Parliament, and subsequently received the George Medal for his actions.

Met Police Commissioner Dame Cressida Dick said: "Keith was a brave and dedicated police officer and four years ago today, he made the ultimate sacrifice by acting with complete selflessness to protect others.

"We should never forget the courage and heroism this outstanding officer displayed during those terrible events."