A new memorial has been unveiled at Hillock shul’s Garden of Remembrance.
A new granite memorial honouring Lieutenant Colonel Geoffry Rothband, a former commanding officer of The Lancashire Fusiliers, has been unveiled in the Garden of Remembrance at Hillock Hebrew Congregation.
Col. Rothband, a proud lifelong Mancunian, died in 2023 at the age of 103. Commissioned into his regiment in 1938, he followed his father into service, saw action in East Africa, and later served as a Chindit in Burma. He remained in the reserves until 1962, eventually commanding his battalion and receiving the Territorial Decoration for his service.
His son Nigel Rothband travelled from London to unveil the memorial, joined by his son Harry and family: “We applaud the Hillock initiative in dedicating a space to remember those who have served this country across generations, in war and in peace,” he said.
The Garden of Remembrance and Commemoration was officially opened by His Majesty’s Lord Lieutenant, Diane Hawkins, following a special Remembrance Shabbat service. Alongside the new memorial are metal poppies honouring community members, and a second granite stone donated by AJEX, commemorating the officers and men of the Zion Mule Corps and the Jewish Battalions of the Royal Fusiliers.
Shul President, Ron Vosk, said: “We are grateful to The Rothband family, AJEX, and others who have donated memorials in memory of loved ones or to mark their own service to our country. The garden is for the whole community and anybody wishing to commemorate a friend or family member’s service can get more information by emailing us.”