ELEVEN years on from the tragic death of her soldier son, grieving mum Lisa Billing paid tribute to a veteran who helped her create a memorial garden in her dead son’s memory.
Denis Valentine, who served with 4th Royal Tank Regiment from June 1965 until June 1980 travelled down from Scotland on a regular basis to volunteer for Lisa helping create the memorial to her son at Marshall Gardens. But he sadly died in January before Lisa could give him a gift thanking him for his support.
Now a special memorial stone has been unveiled in his memory on the first anniversary of the opening of the new look Marshall Gardens – the 11th anniversary of the death of Daniel and other members of Warrior six.
Daniel, a former Sir Thomas Boteler CE High School pupil, was one of six British soldiers killed by a massive Taliban bomb in Afghanistan in March 2012.
Private Wade and the five other soldiers had been on a security patrol in a Warrior armoured fighting vehicle when it was caught in an explosion in the Kandahar province.
Lisa has been instrumental in driving forward the revitalisation of the gardens, spending a number of years researching and developing the project. Work got underway in 2020, with Lisa, Warrington Borough Council, community groups and volunteers working together to transform the gardens – which sit opposite the Cenotaph on Bridgefoot – into a haven of peace, reflection and remembrance.
In an emotional ceremony, Lisa was joined by members of Denis’s family, veterans, volunteers and supporters, to unveil the memorial stone.
