A bench dedicated to those who died in the Falklands has been installed in Great Malvern.

The memorial bench sits in the grounds of Great Malvern Library, near the Cenotaph.

A dedication service took place last Sunday (April 2), 41 years to the day since the Argentinian invasion of the Falkland Islands that led to the 10-week conflict.

The Rev Rod Corke led the service and dedicated the new bench, which has a plaque remembering the fallen. A wreath was also laid at the Cenotaph.

Malvern Gazette: The bench has been installed in the grounds of Malvern LibraryThe bench has been installed in the grounds of Malvern Library (Image: Martin Allen)

District and county councillor Martin Allen, himself a Falklands veteran, was involved in the funding and installation of the bench.

“I am the armed forces and veterans champion for Malvern Hills District Council,” he said. “And I was really pleased when the Malvern Armed Forces and Veterans Breakfast Club approach me to see if I could help in funding a Memorial Bench.

“With the help of three other local councillors, I found the funds and arranged for the 

bench to be installed in the grounds of Malvern Library near the Cenotaph.

“I was only 19 when I sailed aboard HM Submarine Valiant into the war. It was an experience of a lifetime and will always stay with me.

“Of course, we returned victorious, but with the loss of 255 comrades, I feel that the bench is a fitting way for their sacrifice to be remembered.”

A series of events took place last year to mark 40 years since the Falklands War, including a special service in Malvern attended by veterans from across the region.

Then-Prime Minister Boris Johnson was among those who attended a commemorative event at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire, which included a fly past and a live link up with the Falkland Islands for a two-minute silence.

Earlier this year, tributes were paid following the death of Dr Peter Mayner, a Malvern man who served as a surgeon during the war.

The Malvern Hills Armed Forces and Veterans Club, which instigated the installation of the bench, meets for breakfast on the third Saturday of the month at the Foley Arms.