Littlehampton war memorial get major facelift

The monument, in Beach Road, had started to look tired and needed an serious clean.

Littlehampton Town Council, which is responsible for the site’s upkeep, conducted two weeks of restoration, including a deep clean, repairs, re-pointing and re-engraving of some of the plaques.

The chairman of the town council’s property and personnel committee, councillor Tony Squires, said the work was long-overdue.

“The memorial had not benefited from a deep clean for many years and its appearance was beginning to diminish,” he explained.

“The town council felt that it was only right that the memorial have a thorough overhaul so that it could look its best in honour of both the centenary anniversary of the Great War and the 75th anniversary of VE Day.”

The memorial was originally unveiled on September 28, 1921, by General Lord Horne of Stirkoke.

In addition to the restoration works and cleaning an additional name has also been added to the Second World War roll of honour.

The council was contacted last year by a woman whose uncle was killed in 1941.

The man, Flight Sergeant Alfred Tizzard, was from Littlehampton and had been serving in the RAF when his patrol plane went missing on the April 21, 1941.

Mr Tizzard’s body was washed ashore on September 9 of that year at Kilmurvey, Inishmore Island, near Ireland, where he was buried the same day.

His parents, Cecil and Emily, of Littlehampton, never wished to believe their son had died so they asked for his name not to be included on the town’s war
 memorial.

Mr Squires said: “Alfred Tizzard’s niece, daughter of his brother, John, felt it was now time to honour her uncle in his home town and the town council were only too pleased to support this.”