Cheshire Regiment to be represented at National Memorial Arboretum

The ex-soldiers were disappointed by the lack of recognition for their regiment

A memorial to the former Cheshire Regiment is to be placed at the National Memorial Arboretum following two former soldiers' campaign.

Stuart Harrison and Ashley Farrall began fundraising after being "disappointed" to find the regiment was not represented on a visit in 2018.

Their design, which has been approved by the arboretum, includes the regimental motto "Ever Glorious".

A public dedication ceremony is planned for later this year.

Ashley Farrall (left) and Stuart Harrison (right) raised £38,000 through a fundraising campaign

The 22nd (Cheshire) Regiment was formed in 1689 but was merged with the Staffordshire Regiment and the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters to form the Mercian Regiment in 2007.

Both of the other regiments have dedicated memorials at the Staffordshire site.

Former L/Cpl Harrison, who served with the Cheshires in Iraq and Northern Ireland, said he had taken his son to the arboretum and had been "very disappointed that my old regiment didn't have a monument there to show him".

He and former Pte Farrall, who also served in Iraq, raised £38,000 for the project through sponsored marches, raffles and bake sales in 2019 and 2020.

Mr Farrall said the memorial would serve as a "focal point for people with connections to the Cheshire Regiment to pay their respects".

Their design includes a memorial stone engraved with the regiment's cap badge and motto, which will be flanked by two silhouettes representing soldiers from 1689 and 2007 and stood on a resin surface in the regimental colours of cerise and buff.

Work is due to get under way on building the memorial after Mr Harrison and Mr Farrall's design was agreed by the Cheshire Regiment Association and approved by the arboretum's landscape and memorial committee.