ON FRIDAY, June 20, Reading marked five years since the death of David Wails, James Furlong, and Joe Ritchie-Bennett.
Following a private memorial service for family, friends, and invited guests at St Laurence’s Church, a Civic Memorial Service was held in central Reading.
The service took place beside the plaque dedicated to the three men in Forbury Gardens, and was led by the mayor of Reading, Cllr Mpofu Coles, and Rev Sonya Wratten of the Reading Minster of St Mary the Virgin.
The mayor welcomed attendees, which included family and friends of Joe, James, and David, Reading’s MPs Matt Rodda, Olivia Bailey, and Yuan Yang, and members of Thames Valley Police and emergency services, as well as members of the public.
She then led attendees in a minute’s silence before a performance of Safe and Sound by Nicole Grace.
Revd Sonya Wratten gave a reading of Those Who Are Near Me Do Not Know by Rabindranath Tagore, before Gary Furlong, father of James Furlong, addressed attendees.
He said: “We come together each year to celebrate the memory of Joe, David and James– the families would like to thank Marc from The Blagrave and Lucy, from Reading Borough Council, and their teams who work so tirelessly every year to organise the memorials.
“We would also like to thank the mayor of Reading Alice Mpofu-Coles for her kind words and warm welcome– and our continued thanks to Reading Borough Council and theior leaders who have done our boys proud with the beautiful memorials over the past five years.”
He also thanked Nichole Grace and Revd Sonya Wratten, before adding: “It’s hard to think that five years ago, on a sunny evening, just like today, with such peaceful surroundings after coming out of a lockdown, when people were able to meet for the first time in many months, that such a catastrophic event took place.
“There were other victims that night who have suffered in the years since that horrific evening: members of the public, ambulance services, police on the ground and in control rooms– who live with the nightmare of that night forever.
“We the families honour and thank you for your dedication and compassion, and doing all you could to save our boys that evening– you will be forever in our hearts and thoughts.”
Nichole Grace returned to perform Fields of Gold, followed by a reading of John 14, 25-28, before attendees laid flowers at the plaque at the base of the bandstand in Forbury Gardens.
Following the event, Mr Furlong said: “The grief never changes when we come up to milestones, whether it’s memorials, birthdays, or Christmas– it will always hit home in the weeks leading up, which are very difficult.
“Sleepless nights– but we always try to keep ourselves involved in the memorials, but that comes with its stresses.”
Speaking of the attendees at the service, he said: “It’s a testament to the boys, the amount of people of turn up and pay tribute to their memory.
“We attended James’ school this morning, and we received a letter from one of the pupils now attending university study a master’s degree.
“It was eight pages long, and explained how James had impacted her life– James will live on in her memory, and for as long as we keep talking about James, David, and Joe.”
Mr Furlong met with the Home Secretary earlier this year as part of continued work to learn the lessons from institutional failings surrounding the incident.
The deaths of the three men were found to be avoidable following intelligence-sharing issues between relevant authorities in the subsequent inquest.
Mr Furlong said: “I think the recognition of what happened here in Forbury Gardens is what all the families and friends wish to achieve, and it’s the best tribute we can give the boys– delivering that change.”
The Maiwand Lion was lit with three beams of light in memory of David, James, and Joe.
