A permanent memorial to five police officers killed in a coach crash in Wakefield has been unveiled.
The officers died when the vehicle they were travelling in overturned at Newton Hill roundabout in Wakefield in May 1978.
The officers died when the vehicle they were travelling in overturned at Newton Hill roundabout in Wakefield in May 1978.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Good afternoon everybody and welcome to this memorial event. Welcome us friends and families
00:10because policing talks a lot about being a family and I just want to reassure you all
00:16that whether in service, out of service, now, forever, we're all part of one family. It's
00:22a real honour to be here representing my children please and also to see you all and to be with
00:28you all today. I'll talk a little later about what other acts of remembrance there are and
00:35I know that some of you have already been involved in some of those and I would later
00:40on invite you to many more events. But I think what Paul has done through the council, through
00:49Councillor Morley and through Wakefield Council is nothing short of amazing. I think the commitment,
00:56the dedication, the remembrance, the fortitude and the vision that you've had in what has
01:03now turned out to be quite an amazing redevelopment and I congratulate the council on behalf of
01:08that. To get this in place has just been brilliant. Every morning and evening I drive up and down
01:14this route and I've seen it develop so it's kind of become close to my heart as the Chief
01:19Constable in that way. But it's of course close to all of your hearts, those families
01:25and friends and colleagues who remember it probably like yesterday because as time goes
01:30on those memories don't fade and to hear the leader of the council having been here at
01:36the scene of the accident this morning is just profound really as to how it affects
01:41so many people in so many different ways and to hear Paul's connection with his neighbours,
01:46to realise that we have to remember, we have to have an act of remembrance so that people
01:52aren't forgotten. And I would like you to join me in an act of remembrance for your
01:59loved ones, for your friends, for your families, for our colleagues, those five people and
02:05the 23 people injured that day, for those five people who are remembered, memorialised
02:11here forever. Police Sergeant Elizabeth Burton, Police Constable Lillian Sullivan, Police
02:26Constable David Bulliment, Police Constable Eric Brenshaw, Police Constable Colin Ross.
02:40You are all in our memory and will remain in our memory lest we forget. Please may we
02:48have a minute's silence.