The widow of a serving British soldier who died during a training expedition in Austria has told GB News how emotional she is to see her husband’s name added to the National Memorial Arboretum Armed Forces Memorial.
The memorial is a permanent reminder of service and sacrifice, remembering those who have been killed while on duty, died in operational theatre or targeted by terrorists since the end of the Second World War.
There are more than 16,000 names on the walls, and this week GB News was given exclusive access to film six more being engraved for serving personnel who died in 2023 and 2024.
Warrant Officer, Neil Tattersall, was the first name to be engraved this year. He died in 2023 on an adventurous training expedition with the Royal Anglian Regiment.
The widow of a serving British soldier who died during a training expedition in Austria has told GB News how emotional she is to see her husband’s name added to the National Memorial Arboretum Armed Forces Memorial
|ODETTE TATTERSALL/ NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM
His wife, Odette, said she knows how much it would mean to him to have his name added to the memorial.
She told GB News: “It's very emotional, if I'm honest, very emotional, because I know how much it would mean to him.
“He did tours of Afghanistan, Iraq, he was one of the last troops out of Hong Kong, which was amazing, Northern Ireland, Bosnia and the Falklands.
“He did every tour that you could imagine, and in fact, he loved it and I'm so proud of what he did, what he believed in.
“Fighting for your country, you can't get more proud than that, can you?”
Over 15,000 names were carved by computer when the memorial was first created, but since 2007, they’ve been engraved by hand.
With that job falling on stonemason, Nick Hindle.
He said: “Family members, friends especially who have been in the forces with these people, they'll come and see me carving the name on the wall.
Neil Tattersall's wife, Odette, said she knows how much it would mean to him to have his name added to the memorial
|ODETTE TATTERSALL
“It just puts a lump in your throat when you chat to these people, some of them have stood with them when they lost their lives.
“It's difficult to put those names on the wall, but for them to stand there and watch that name appear must be very difficult.
“It's a fantastic thing to do and certainly makes me very proud.”
Two bronze sculptures sit beside the centre walls, depicting the sacrifice that comes from conflict.
The walls have been designed in such a way that at 11am on Armistice Day each year, a shaft of sunlight falls through a gap in the memorial onto a bronze wreath that sits in the centre.
There are more than 16,000 names on the walls, and this week GB News was given exclusive access to film six more being engraved for serving personnel who died in 2023 and 2024.
|NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM
Philippa Rawlinson is the Managing Director of the National Memorial Arboretum. She told GB News what the memorial means for the six families who will be at a dedication ceremony later this month.
“Thankfully, there are only six names being dedicated this year, but that's still six families who have lost their loved one.
“It's a real honour to be able to remember their loved one, have their name here and be here for them all year round whenever they want to come and remember.
“The common thing we'll hear after a dedication of name service is thank you. Thank you for remembering my son, my husband or my dad.
“Sometimes we have very young children who have lost their parents, but they also take comfort that they can come here year round to take a moment to remember and to pay their respects.”