City & Country Group Helps Honour Battle of Britain Airmen
28th June 2010
In conjunction with Armed Forces Day, this Saturday (26th June) saw Battle of Britain airmen honoured with a commemorative plaque in a ceremony at Cocking Parish Church, near Midhurst, West Sussex. In dedication to the crew of a wartime Lancaster that crashed nearby killing five of its seven crew, relatives of those who lost their lives unveiled the plaque, which was funded by restoration and conservation experts, City & Country Group. The tribute was organised by Ken Rimell, a journalist and documentary filmmaker who is currently making a film about this aspect of WWII.
A showcase of classic military vehicles was on display outside the church. The plaque stands outside the church and records the names of those airmen killed when their bomber crashed near Midhurst on the 30th June 1944.
Helen Moore, Managing Director of City & Country Group Residential comments: “It was a privilege to be able to help Ken organise today’s tribute to the airmen who lost their lives in the service of this country. The plaque will act as a reminder of the brave airmen who risked, and gave, their lives during the Battle of Britain.”
City & Country Group has recently unveiled its proposals to restore the King Edward VII Hospital estate’s historic buildings, near Midhurst, where one of the two survivors from the crash landed by parachute and was treated shortly after the crash. City & Country Group proposes to restore and convert the historic buildings to provide a blend of assisted care homes, apartments and houses. These proposals are in line with English Heritage's Enabling Development and the Conservation of Significant Places planning policy to fund the restoration of the estate's historic buildings, gardens and landscape.
Helen continues: “City & Country Group recognises the importance of and has a commitment to the local community of Midhurst and the long-term future of the much loved King Edward VII Hospital estate. Our proposals will add a new layer of history to this local landmark and provide access for the wider community to enjoy the restored Gertrude Jekyll gardens on several days each year. As part of our commitment to the area we are delighted to be able to support a local community event such as this.”
Ken Rimell, who organised the tribute, comments: “We owe such a lot to the blokes that fought in World War II, particularly the RAF boys, who were on the front line the whole time. I feel that I owe a great debt of personal gratitude to them and am privileged to have been able to organise this tribute in memory of them. I wouldn’t have been able to do this without City & Country Group though, who have kindly supported me and helped fund it. They have been so helpful and have made the organisation of such an event a lot easier than I first thought.”
For further information about the proposals to restore King Edward’s VII Hospital estate, please see the community consultation website at: www.edwardvii.co.uk.