PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
NATIONAL MEMORIAL TO THE WOMEN OF WORLD WAR TWO (25 February 2002)

That this House pays tribute to the work carried out by the 640,000 women who served in the armed forces during the Second World War; acknowledges the enormous contribution of the millions of other women who served in the Land Army, munitions factories, fire brigades, hospitals and other wartime occupations; expresses concern at the lack of public recognition of the dangerous tasks undertaken by many women, such as flying unarmed aircraft across the Atlantic and Europe, staffing ack-ack gun sites and working behind enemy lines in the Special Operations Executive; recognises the important contribution of all these women in defeating Nazism; notes that Canada, Australia and the USA have national memorials to women who served during the Second World War; applauds the efforts of the charity, Memorial to the Women of World War Two Fund, in raising ú140,000 for a memorial; notes that the campaign has the endorsement of Baroness Betty Boothroyd, the charity's patron, and her Royal Highness The Princess Royal and Dame Vera Lynn, the vice-patrons; wishes the charity success in finding a suitable site in Westminster; and supports its bid for a Capital Arts Grant from the National Lottery.

Sponsored by:
Sir Hugh Bayley (Labour)