The Town That Did Not Stare

I took a detour on the way home this afternoon, to look at the benches East Grinstead Town Council unveiled yesterday as a memorial to those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a standard, wooden bench with the inscription 'Recognising all those who helped to overcome Covid-19, NHS, Key Workers and all volunteers' and this metal one, dedicated to those who lost their lives (please zoom in for inscriptions). I can't help thinking that the NHS workers, etc, deserve a little more fanfare and the figures on the metal bench are not very ethnically diverse but it's still a poignant gesture. Not sure we've 'overcome' it yet, either, but we're definitely getting there and the benches are quite moving to see.

My picture in the 'extras' shows where they have been placed, near the statue of the doctor who led the pioneering team at the town's Queen Victoria hospital who developed new techniques for helping soldiers who had been badly burned during World War II (again, please zoom in to see the wording). The story is fascinating and my title refers to how East Grinstead became known, due to the compassion the townspeople showed in allowing the patients to ease back into a more normal life again despite their often horrific injuries.