COUNCILLORS have backed calls to erect a monument to one of the Dorset Regiment's most famous battles in the town.

The Reverend Dr John Travell has been campaigning for a monument to commemorate the decisive role the regiment played in the furiously fought battle at Kohima in the Second World War.

He wants to see the words of the Kohima Epitaph to be inscribed on the memorial to spread its message of remembering those who gave their lives for the country.

The epitaph reads: "When you go home, Tell them of us and say, "For your tomorrow, We gave our today."

The Dorset Regiment's second battalion played a key role in the battle of Kohima, which proved a turning point in the war in Burma.

It was originally proposed to site the monument at The Keep Military Museum, which is dedicated to the Dorset and Devon regiments.

However, that was forced to be cancelled.

The matter was considered by Dorchester Town Council's management committee, with chairman Robin Potter saying he believed that was because there were already memorials to the First and Second World War at the museum.

Cllr Potter suggested that the front of County Hall in Dorchester could be an alternative location, but that would have to be considered by Dorset County Council.

In a letter to the Echo, Dr Travell said that the town needed a fitting tribute to stay faithful to the words of the Kohima Epitaph to keep alive the memory of those who gave their lives.

He said: "The fact very few people in this town have ever heard of this battle and the part the Dorsets played in it means that the solemn request for their story to be told that their comrades placed on their memorial is failing to be honoured where they ought especially to be remembered.

"To have the words of the Kohima Epitaph engraved on a monument in Dorchester, together with an account of the part the second battalion played in the battle, would be the most appropriate and effective way of ensuring that their achievement and their sacrifice is never forgotten here in their native place."

Cllr Potter said that, while the town council was not in a position to approve an exact location for the memorial, it was very much supportive of the principle of a monument to remember the soldiers of the Dorset Regiment who were based in Dorchester.

He said: "We are very much in favour of the principle of creating an important event in the Dorset Regiment's history."