Lee Rigby among soldiers honoured in street naming

A park and several streets in a Greater Manchester community have been named in honour of three local soldiers, including Fusilier Lee Rigby.

Relatives of the soldiers were joined by representatives of the armed forces, councillors and residents at a dedication service at Willow Park in Langley, Middleton, earlier.

Fusilier Rigby, who was murdered on 22 May 2013, has been honoured, along with Corp Joel Halliwell, who served in World War I, and Lance Corp Scott Hetherington, who died aged 22 on 2 January 2017 while serving in Iraq.

Hetherington's mum, Anne Rose, said she felt comforted that her son and his comrades were "never going to be forgotten".

She said her family were "proud as punch" of the honour, as "the worst thing a mother who has lost their child in the army or [through] illness or anything is you think they are going to be forgotten".

"[With] things like this, he is never going to be forgotten," she added.

She said Hetherington was "a good lad" who lived near to the park and doted on his baby - born just two months before he went to serve in Iraq.

Her granddaughter had commented that she wanted to buy a house on the estate when she grew up.

"I hope she does - I hope she gets one", she said.

Lee Rigby's stepfather Ian Rigby said there was "an amazing turnout" at the service and he was "lost for words".

"It brings a lot of memories back and we set a foundation up in Lee's name to keep Lee's name alive which is what's important to us and days like this make it all worthwhile," he added.

He said his stepson would be "smiling down on us, proud as punch".

Col Gareth Boyd from the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers said it was a "very poignant" service.

"It's important to remember the bravery, what those three individuals achieved in their lives and it's an opportunity for the community to come together and to remember them and to reflect," he said.

Halliwell, who grew up in Middleton and died aged 76 in 1958, received the Victoria Cross for Valour, the country's highest military award.

To date, he remains the only Middleton person to have received the honour, a council spokesperson said.

On 27 May 1918, Halliwell was captured and held prisoner for a short time before escaping and bringing back wounded comrades on his way back to the British lines, despite heavy German shellfire.

Boyd said the service showed "that even 100 years on we still remember them, we still remember the community they came from, we still remember their families, and that, in itself, is very important".

"Rigby Way, Joel Halliwell VC Park and Hetherington Way have been named in honour of the lives of Lee, Joel and Scott, who had deep and lasting connections with the Middleton community," a Rochdale Council spokesperson said.

The Joel Halliwell VC stone has also been laid next to the new Joel Halliwell VC Park as "a fitting tribute to a man so brave", they added.

Fusilier Lee Rigby grew up in Middleton and served as a drummer with the second battalion of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

His was killed by terrorists outside Woolwich barracks in London in May 2013.

Lance Corporal Hetherington, who was also a Middleton resident, was a member of the Duke of Lancashire Regiment and was a vehicle commander in the Force Protection Platoon.

Wreaths were laid and the Last Post was played, with music from the band of the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers and dedications.

West Middleton councillor Phil Burke, who led efforts to honour the three "local heroes", said it was really important to ensure "the names of Lee, Joel and Scott live on forever".

"They're all Langley lads and we need to remember them," he said.

"People on the estate wanted something special for the three fallen heroes and what better way [than] to name the streets and the local park after Scott, Lee and Joel," he said.

Mayor of Rochdale Janet Emsley said it was "a really poignant event as the community comes together to honour Lee, Joel and Scott".

She said the soldiers' families had been closely involved in the dedication ceremony and she was proud to have been able to join them at "this very special service".

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