Pte Hubert “Stokey” Lewis’ war memorial in Milford Haven
Local Assembly Member Paul Davies has welcomed the UK Government’s commitment to restoring the war graves of Victoria Cross recipients across the United Kingdom, which includes restoring the grave of local recipient Pte Hubert “Stokey” Lewis in Milford Haven. This new funding provides a significant boost to the ‘Honour Our VC Heroes’ campaign launched by the Sun newspaper, in association with the Victoria Cross Trust.
Mr Davies said, “I’m delighted that the UK Government is committed to honouring our war heroes, and that Pembrokeshire could also receive funding to restore a grave locally. This funding could certainly go some way to replacing the broken sundial on Stokey Lewis’ memorial. We must all ensure that future generations are fully aware of how their ancestors fought bravely for our country.”
At the Senedd, Mr Davies has been working on a campaign to protect war memorials across Wales, calling on the Welsh Government to place a statutory duty on local authorities to ensure that memorials within their areas are safeguarded and protected.
He added, “It’s only right that those servicemen and women who lost their lives for our country should receive this kind of public recognition. Their bravery should be commended and remembered for years to come. Sadly, the rising cost of metals has meant war memorials have become a target for theft due to their scrap value. Therefore I believe that it’s essential that local authorities do all that they can to reduce, and indeed, eliminate metal theft. I want to see local authorities remembering the sacrifices that the armed forces and their families made for our country, by protecting our war memorials for future generations.”
