Article and images by Jonathan White
Simon Weston CBE unveiled the crest of the new national memorial engine at Crewe Heritage Centre on Saturday 10th November 2018.
Simon – the Welsh war veteran who survived an attack on his ship, the Sir Galahad, during the Falklands War and overcame devastating burn injuries – has become a tireless charity worker, public speaker, author and businessman.
He is also a patron of The LMS-Patriot Project.
The new build Patriot Class steam locomotive, numbered 5551 and named The Unknown Warrior, commemorates the lives of those lost in the two world wars and in more recent conflicts.
On completion, it will be a lasting memorial for the British public to cherish.
It is being built by The LMS-Patriot Project which has trial-fitted the part-finished boiler to the chassis of the locomotive.
The boiler is the first standard gauge boiler to be built in the UK since 1962.
It is hoped that the engine will be completed to re-enact the journey of the Cavell Van from Dover to London Victoria on its centenary in November 2020.
For further information, visit: www.lms-patriot.org.uk
There was also a ‘Rails and Remembrance’ exhibition telling the story of the role railways played during the Great War and how several Remembrance engines were built as a memorial to the employees of railway companies who gave their lives in the conflict.
