In spite of a warning that choosing names of soldiers killed in action for local street names would be fraught with problems, Witham Town Council is to go ahead and choose 30 names from local families.
If all goes well, they will appear on road signs on the new Maltings Lane estate off Hatfield Road.
Next Tuesday, councillors will hear that not a single objection had been received against the idea.
All the many callers had supported the council's decision. Many said they would feel honoured to see their loved one's name on a road sign.
However, councillors have promised to ensure there will be an equal balance between the dead of both world wars.
They will take advice from the Western Front Association, which favours selecting names on the basis of available information on the casualties, or by ballot.
The council has been warned that the venture could become an emotional minefield.
John Brett, Braintree District Council's building control manager, said not all the 100 names on the Witham memorial could be used, so some would be left out.
Selection would be extremely sensitive, he said, and could devalue the immense sacrifice made by the persons lost.
Published Thursday, April 17, 2003
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