Rayleigh and Wickford MP and Armed Forces Minister, Mark Francois, visited Folkestone in Kent recently to view the new "Step Short" Memorial to commemorate those troops who departed from Folkestone to fight on the Western Front in World War One.
The new memorial, which takes the form of a ceremonial arch, will be unveiled by HRH Prince Harry on the 4th August 2014, 100 years to the day since the commencement of WWI. During that conflict, troops departing from Britain for the continent mainly left from Folkestone (whereas wounded troops were brought back separately via Dover). The troops would march down a steep hill in order to embark upon the troop ships at Folkestone Harbour and, because of the steepness of the hill, they were given the order to "step short" – hence the name of the memorial.
In his role as Armed Forces Minister, Mark asked for a chance to see the memorial before its official unveiling and he also walked down the same hill that all of those troops travelled before departing for the Western Front.
Commenting on the project, which was strongly supported by the local MP for Folkestone Damien Collins, Mark Francois said:
"It was a privilege to be able to see the new "Step Short" Memorial, which will form an important part of the national commemoration of the First World War on 4th August. Millions of men left the Western Front via Folkestone and so it is very fitting that in this centenary year a special memorial should have been erected to mark their fateful journey. We should never forget the sacrifices that were made in World War One so that we can live in a free country and this is a very apt tribute to the men who paid such a price for our freedom".