GOOD progress is being made towards the completion of a new permanent memorial to Filby soldiers who served in the Far East, according to the chair of the village's In Bloom group.

GOOD progress is being made towards the completion of a new permanent memorial to Filby soldiers who served in the Far East, according to the chair of the village's In Bloom group.

Adrian Thompson, chair of Filby In Bloom, said work was on target for the unveiling of the stone memorial to troops who served during the Second World War at the existing flower bed memorial in Pound Lane on July 19.

The memorial will consist of a mosaic containing the emblem of the Far East Prisoners of War (FEPOW) Association embedded in white concrete.

Underneath this emblem will be a brass plaque bearing the inscription “In memory of those who served in the Far East during the Second World War and who suffered and died in Japanese prison camps or later as a result of captivity.” The final words at the bottom of the plaque will be “We Shall Remember Them.”

A plinth will also be created at the bottom of the memorial for people to lay flowers.

The cost of the scheme is being met partly by the In Bloom committee and partly through fundraising from well-wishers who have so far donated �300.

Two servicemen from the village fought in the Far East for the Royal Norfolk Regiment- Stanley Tennant, known as “Kibby,” and Gerald Smithdale.

Filby man Tom Green is designing the memorial, which will be unveiled at 2pm on July 19, followed by a service at Filby Church conducted by FEPOW chaplain Rev Pauline Simpson at 4.30pm.