Over 1,000 British Soldiers died in Northern Ireland Conflict

[capt_buzzard]

The number of British soldiers who died during the conflict in Northern Ireland is substantially higher than previously thought, with more then 1,000 dead.

An unacknowledged cost of the conflict has been the estimated 100 soldiers who committed susicde and a similar number who died in accidents.

The new figure,about 25pc higher than the Ministry of Defence total of 763, was disclosed for the first time yesterday, following research into a proposal to erect a memorial to every British soldier, sailor and airman who died during the troubles.

Britain's National Memorial Committee, added by a 500,000 pound government grant, has been formed to consult with relatives of dead servicemen and regimental associations before unveiling a memorial plan by the autumn.

One idea has been to build something similar to the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC, a black granite wall which includes the name, rank, age and date of death of all 58,000 troops killed.

There will be a debate over siting the memorial as many families would prefer a site in Britain.

The Official figure of 763 servicemen who died includes serving and former members of the Ulster Defence Regiment. of the 30,000 troops who served in Northern Ireland since 1969, 6,116 were wounded.

The Northern Ireland Viterans Association (NIVA) has calculated that at least 43 soldiers committed suicide since 1984 and estimate that 100 or more took their own lives during the conflict.

The final figure could exceed the 1,078 British dead from the Korean War.

A Spokesman for NIVA, said the high suicide rate could be blamed on the easy access to firearms and the stress of an operational tour. " During my three tours I knew of about five blokes who killed themselves.''

"A Visual memory is something for future generations to remember all the sacrifices made, otherwise they will be forgotten".

www.unison.ie/

[capt_buzzard]

The War Memorials in Southern Ireland

http://homepage.eircom.net/~wlawless/ww1/Dublin.htm



www.regiments.org

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