Diary Date: On 29 October 2007 the National Post War War (etc etc) Memorial Has Open House

UNBIASED STORY: From the BBC. HAT TIP: Chicken Yogurt. It is worth noting that at the current rate of attrition this memorial at Alrewas in Staffordshire could last for 150 years, though it has been half filled in about 60. But at recent rates in Fallujah, Baghdad or Afghanistan local people could go through one of these once a year or more.

In Palestine/Israel/Lebanon I suppose one would last one or two decades. In the land of the free and the home of the brave they'd need one every two to three years for those killed on home turf by firearms. Everyone there can bear arms to defend themselves. But this is more than 20 times the rate in the UK where we cannot.

The main photograph above is not of this new memorial but rather of one designed by the artist Andrew DeComyn and unveiled in June 2001 to 307 Great War soldiers - men and boys - who were shot at dawn for "desertion".

The BBC site has this picture (right) of the splendid new memorial and indeed this link I'm told includes both QEII and a fly over film showing the site.

Alrewas in Staffs may be geographically the dead centre of England and Wales though as far as I know Scottish and Irish casualties are included. Not sure about Gurkhas and other Commonwealth Soldiers. And I'm going to check whether there is already an area at this rather comprehensive memorial arboretum for journalists.

ARITHMETIC: The memorial has 16,000 post war armed forces names on it. There is space for 15,000 more names.