THE chairman of Worcestershire County Council is to travel to France this week to unveil war memorial made of Malvern stone

The villagers of Vernon, 30 miles west of Paris, have sculpted a memorial in honour of soldiers from the Worcestershire Regiment, who liberated the area in the summer of 1944, as they fought to cross the River Seine.

The regiment, which in 1970, was merged with the Sherwood Foresters to become the 1st Battalion the Worcestershire and Sherwood Foresters - "The Woofers" - became embroiled in fierce battles with German Panzer units.

Despite being attacked by Tiger tanks, the British forces triumphed over the Schrader Battle Group when they clashed on August 27, 1944.

"I've been asked to unveil a memorial made from a ton of Malvern stone, which has already been taken over to Vernon," said Councillor Peter Carter.

He is the honorary vice-president of the Worcestershire Regimental Association, an accolade awarded due to his support for the Territorial Army, and will travel to France with representatives of the regiment.

"I'll present the mayor of the town with a rug featuring the county emblem and a regimental shield," said Coun Carter, who represents Kidderminster Brinton Park ward on Worcestershire County Council.

"There will be a bugler from the regiment present, to play The Last Post, and we will lay a Union Jack on the stone memorial."

The memorial stands in a lay-by.

"There was close fighting throughout the day, in 1944, and the Worcestershire Regiment suffered 65 casualties," said Major David Reeve, the current secretary of the Regimental Association.

"The lay-by was where most of the soldiers were killed or wounded. The memorial is of a natural shape and has been erected near a First World War monument, which was damaged in the battle."

The French are paying for the plinth on which the Malvern stone rests, and they are also paying for the celebrations to mark the anniversary of the liberation.