More than 15,500 members of the armed services killed since the second world war will be commemorated on a new national monument to be dedicated in front of the Queen this week..

The 150ft-wide stone structure, built in the heart of England at Alrewas, Staffordshire, consists of a circle of walls, an obelisk and statues on top of an earth mound.

On the walls are carved the names of those killed while serving, whether fighting in conflicts such as Iraq, Afghanistan, the Falklands, Korea and Northern Ireland, or in incidents such as training accidents.

There is space for about another 10,000 names on the walls, which will be updated every six months.

Relatives of the dead will be among 2,500 people attending a ceremony on Friday, with senior politicians and members of the royal family, including the Duke of Edinburgh and the Prince of Wales.

Vice-Admiral Sir John Dunt, chairman of the trustees of the £7.5m Armed Forces Memorial, said it could eventually become as central to national remembrance as the Cenotaph. “In 10 or 20 years’ time there will be far fewer people alive who have a recollection of the second world war. This is a living memorial, as sadly names will continue to be added.”

The monument has been designed by Liam O’Connor, an architectural adviser to Prince Charles, patron of the project. Donations are still being sought. The greatest number of names are from the Korean war, which claimed more than 1,000 British lives in 1950-53.

For further information on memorial including how to donate and searchable database of names, see www.forcesmemorial.org.uk

Read Mick Smith's blog on the memorial at www.timesonline.co.uk/micksmith

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