Lee’s dad still coming to terms with his loss

Photo: Darren Robinson

Murdered soldier Lee Rigby's father Phil McClure.

THE Oldham father of murdered soldier Lee Rigby spoke at a memorial unveiling about coming to terms with his loss.

Philip McClure, of Bardsley, attended the private ceremony in Middleton Memorial Gardens yesterday, which included a dedication for a bronze drum and plaque symbolising the service of the drummer and machine gunner with the 2nd Battalion, Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

The 25-year-old fusilier was killed outside Woolwich Barracks in London on May 22, 2013, by Islamist extremists.

Mr McClure said: “I am still coming to terms with what happened. This memorial is keeping his memory alive in his home town.”

Lee’s four-year-old son, Jack, and his mother, Rebecca, laid a floral tribute, and Col Mike Glover, regimental secretary of the Lancashire Fusiliers, told the ceremony the soldier’s death sent “shockwaves through the country. That afternoon Fusilier Lee Rigby paid the ultimate sacrifice.

“That day will forever be embedded in our nation’s history and for many here today it will remain forever in our hearts.”