Memorial bell for repatriation route cast
A memorial bell that will be a tolled on a route for fallen soldiers in Oxfordshire has been cast.
It was made at the Whitechapel Bell Foundry, London, after the Royal British Legion and local councils and charities raised £26,000. Mike Henderson, vice president of Oxfordshire Royal British Legion, said he was "ecstatic" it was now a reality. Lee Mackie, behind the campaign, lost her son Jason, who was killed in Afghanistan in 2009. "Oxfordshire should be very proud of what it has achieved in the last year hosting repatriations on behalf of the nation and I would like to personally thank everyone who has supported the bereaved families," she said. The large tenor bell will be set in an oak frame and will toll to signal the approaching repatriation corteges in Norton Way, Carterton. It is 31in (78.7cm) wide and 25in (63.5cm) high. The bodies of service personnel are taken from RAF Brize Norton to The John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.