Tiny memorial gives wastewater veterans a moment of peace

A field manager working for Lanes Group plc has initiated the opening of the first ever military memorial at a Thames Water sewage treatment works and possibly at such a facility anywhere in the UK.

What might be the smallest garden of remembrance in Britain has been created next to the Lanes depot based at Thames Water’s Chertsey water treatment works in south west London, thanks to former army sergeant Vic Emery.

He says the memorial has been opened in time to be used by veterans from Lanes and Thames Water whose troubled memories of serving in the UK military may be being made worse by the war in Ukraine.

Vic, who served for 22 years in the British Army, had the idea of creating the memorial so veterans, as well as relatives and friends, have a quiet spot to remember friends injured or killed in conflict.

He said: “I thought it might be a good thing to create a place where veterans could remember injured or fallen comrades, especially if they were working special anniversaries, including Remembrance Day.

“Other work colleagues may have relatives or friends who’ve been injured or killed while serving in UK armed forces or for other countries. This memorial is for them as well.”

Lanes is the wastewater network services maintenance manager for Thames Water, working on behalf of the UK’s largest water company to unblock, clean and rehabilitate sewers across its region.

It provided funding to lay the synthetic grass and install a bench to create the memorial, which includes a centrepiece of large poppies and small statue of a fallen soldier.

Lanes Director Andy Brierly said: “It was a great idea of Vic’s to create the memorial. It’s the least we could do to support veterans and provide all our colleagues with a place where they can pause and remember.

“Colleagues at Lanes and Thames Water have said they’re pleased to see the memorial and people have stopped by to lay their own personal flowers, so it’s clear it’s doing some good.”

Vic served in the Royal Pioneer Corps. He was a Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical Protection Instructor, and served in Belize during an insurgency by Guatemala and in Northern Ireland.

He said: “There are at least six veterans based at the Lanes depot here in Chertsey alone, and each one has their own experience of dealing with issues related to their military service.

“I’ve suffered post-traumatic stress disorder because to what I’ve experienced in conflict, which is why I thought this memorial might be helpful. It creates a visible presence that lets veterans know they don’t have to suffer in silence.

“For many veterans, the terrible war in Ukraine will be very difficult, because it’ll remind them of what they’ve experienced themselves in places like Iraq and Afghanistan. We need to maintain our support for veterans, their friends and their families.”

In one case, two years ago, Vic helped a young former soldier working for Lanes who had been made homeless and sold his medals to raise money to live on. Vic got the medals back and referred him to the Veteran’s Gateway, a service supported by charities and the government. The former colleague is now married and settled in his own home.