'Memorial belongs at Cathedral' Debate over ideal location heats up.

Byline: Les Reid

A DEBATE is under way about how best the city should mark the suffering of Coventrians in the Blitz of November 1940.

As revealed in last Friday's Telegraph, leading city councillor Gary Ridley called for the public's views on plans for a new Blitz memorial in the city centre as part of the historic pounds 1 billion rebuilding scheduled for 2014.

But the cathedral's Canon David Porter argues it should be in the grounds of the cathedral. He says the ruins already stand as a memorial to the Blitz and a lasting symbol of the city's survival. That call has been backed by a leading Blitz researcher, Trevor Harkin. But he also argues that more should be done at Coventry's London Road cemetery to commemorate those who lost their lives at the hands of the German Luftwaffe.

He says a sign there wrongly states that its communal grave memorial commemorates those who died in the raids of 1940. In fact, he says, some of the 808 people buried in the communal grave lost their lives in the German air raids of 1941.

His is calling on the city council to correct the incorrect sign, and is appealing for more names to be inscribed on the 20ft wide memorial.

Mr Harkin, who published a book last year called City of Coventry: Roll of the Fallen, the Second World War, says about 15 names of people bur-ied in the communal grave have been left off the memorial, as have about 300 other Blitz victims buried in family plots elsewhere in the cemetery.

He says his research of the city archives provides evidence of his claims, and he is appealing through the Telegraph for relatives of those who died to come forward with more information.

Mr Harkin, who lives in Earlsdon, supports the idea of a new memorial to the Blitz, but he believes the cathedral ruins would be a more appropriate place than the city centre.

He said: "The whole signifi-cance of the cathedral makes it the best location. It can only be a good thing, as long as it shows the sacrifice people made and relatives of the victims are consulted as much as possible."

To help Mr Harkin's research, call him on 0776 2511234 or e-mail him on [e-mail] WHAT DO YOU THINK? Should the new Blitz memorial be in the city centre or the cathedral? Write to letters editor, Telegraph, Corporation Street, Coventry, CV1 1FP or email [e-mail]

CAPTION(S):

TRIBUTE...the Blitz memorial sign at London Road cemetery