Wednesday

Queen and Country stamps

A campaign is underway for Royal Mail to publish a series of commemorative stamps featuring British soldiers who lost their lives in Iraq, including Burghfield's Paul Donnachie.
They died for our country - they deserve our appreciation. So say the parents of a soldier from Burghfield who died in Iraq last year.

Paul Donnachie was killed on 29 April 2007 by small arms fire during a routine patrol in Basra.

Now his dad James is one of a number of people calling for commemorative stamps of the service personnel who have been killed on active duty.

He says: "Paul and his friends, they're great guys are willing to do anything for anyone. But it's these types of youngsters who are the ones that get forgotten, get overshadowed."
"This work is particularly important and meaningful for me as it is a collaboration with the families of the deceased."
Artist Steve McQueen
James Donnachie is not alone. According to a survey by charity The Art Fund, 66 per cent of people in the South East think that not enough is being done to recognise the sacrifice made by UK troops who have lost their lives in Iraq.

The charity is supporting official war artist, Steve McQueen, in his call for Royal Mail to issue the commemorative postage stamps he has created in his work Queen and Country, each dedicated to a member of the armed forces who has lost their life in Iraq.

David Barrie, director of The Art Fund, says: "Through the everyday postage stamp Steve McQueen has found a deceptively simple but very moving way to express our complex feelings about war."

Steve McQueen says: "This work is particularly important and meaningful for me as it is a collaboration with the families of the deceased and potentially with the whole nation."

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