PLANS for a display in Dorchester's council chamber to honour Dorset's ex-servicemen have run into delays.

Former mayor Leslie Phillips - an ex-Household Cavalry solider - has called for a scroll to honour the county's soldiers.

But members of Dorchester Town Council's policy committee have put the matter on hold - to determine what criteria war heroes must meet.

Coun Phillips urged town councillors to mark the achievements of Trooper Thomas Warr and Victoria Cross recipient Samuel Vickery with the display last year.

Trooper Warr survived the Charge of the Light Brigade and Mr Vickery was awarded his VC for his actions in a campaign in India in 1897.

Deserving Since then three further heroes, Joseph Kellaway, Gerald O'Sullivan and Lionel Queripel, have been added to those already identified as deserving the honour.

Committee members received letters from local residents in support of honouring the trio, who were all awarded the Victoria Cross.

They were informed Mr Kellaway was a boatswain aboard HMS Wrangler in the Crimean War and that Captain O'Sullivan is already remembered on the Dorchester cenotaph.

But town clerk Dennis Holmes said plans for the council chamber display are on hold for now. He said: "We've deferred it to seek clarification on the relative significance of any other medals. We need to think whether others ought to be recognised.

"There will also be those who are considered by their families to have done very brave things who did not receive medals. It's complicated."

Mr Holmes said the matter would come back before the town council at a later date. The policy committee agreed to defer the matter and seek appropriate advice in the meantime from all possible sources.

The idea of the commemorative display received support from town council members when Coun Phillips proposed the idea last December.

Speaking at the time, Mayor of Dorchester Robin Potter said: "We do want to honour these two brave men and more that anyone may come across, so that their names could be added to a scroll."