As a former pupil of Finchley County School I read with interest the feature on the proposed sell-off by Barnet Council of the old school buildings which former pupils are attempting to get listed. Councillor Anthony Finn remarks that the war memorial housed in the building will be removed after consultation' and treated with great respect'.
In saying this he totally misses the point. The whole point of the memorial is that it can be visited by former pupils in the very building that those who sacrificed their lives for their country had their formative years.
To move it elsewhere would be an insult. I have frequently visited War Graves cemeteries in France and Italy and, although I personally lost no-one in the war, I can feel the poignancy of seeing those white crosses and reading the names of those who fell.
If anyone were to suggest those cemeteries should be closed and the remains of loved ones moved back to England, there would be an instant outcry from the relatives of the dead soldiers. The same applies in this instance.
To separate the memorial to fallen pupils of Finchley County School from the building those pupils attended would be to instantly devalue its meaning.
Where is the councillor intending to put it?
Richard de Sylva
Ludlow, Shropshire
October 30, 2002 12:00
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