Edward Fleet Memorial

When Dave Wiseman, an enthusiastic reader of Shillingstone Station, emailed me a few months ago to suggest that a memorial should be set in place (as a marketing exercise) in the station garden as per the novel, I originally thought it was a nice idea that would be laughed at by the trustees. How wrong I was. Everybody I spoke to thought it would be perfectly feasible and, yes, would be a great promotional tool and not just for the novel.

Yesterday I saw the results of the work, mainly of Patrick Law and Beryl Beecham and the gardeners, I believe: a perfect little memorial stone to Edward L Fleet, with engraved brass plaque facing the afternoon sun just like I described it! The surrounding rosebushes are due to be planted imminently.

I am still a little surprised (and I imagine Dave Wiseman is too) and sincerely grateful to those who helped to turn a fiction into a reality, notably Derek Lester-Jones, Alan Wiseman (no relation) and Patrick.

Photos taken on 29th October below: