War veteran tired of Sutton Council excuses over war memorial (From Sutton Guardian)

Clockhouse war volunteer still fighting to get fallen soldiers' names on Carshalton plaque

2:00pm Thursday 1st November 2012 in News By James Pepper

A war veteran campaigning to get fallen WWII soldiers recognised on a war memorial said he is tired of council excuses for delays.

William Quattrucci, 85, said ahead of the Remembrance Sunday that Sutton Council must now act on the promise it gave to the families of servicemen killed in battle for their country.

The names of 270 men who died in WWII are missing from the Carshalton War Memorial, including the name of Mr Quattrucci's brother Sidney.

After campaigning for well over a decade, the war veteran thought he had won his final battle two years ago when Sutton Council announced it had set aside £35,000 to pay for a new memorial.

It was agreed that two pillars inscribed with the names of the 270 fallen soldiers would be added to Carshalton's memorial gardens to go alongside the names of the 240 WWI soldiers.

But in March this year announced it had shelved the plans after claiming it would be too expensive following the theft of the metal from the WWI memorial in 2011.

Mr Quattrucci will carry on his campaign, and with Remembrance Sunday weeks away, he said it is about time people who gave their lives for this country were honoured.

He said: "It is excuse after excuse as to why they are not going ahead with the memorial. It's over 65 years since I lost my brother at war, now it just feels like the Council have forgotten about him. It is disrespectful and I'm tired of hearing these excuses."

Councillor Hamish Pollock, chairman of Carshalton and Clockhouse Committee, responsible for allocating the funding, said: "Honouring those that laid down their lives during the First World War and Second World War is the right thing to do and it's important their sacrifices are remembered."

"We are currently awaiting approval of the preferred scheme from English Heritage, whom we are due to meet with in the near future.