Anthony Frith – Uniformed Hero nominee
Anthony Frith – Uniformed Hero nominee
Former soldier Anthony Frith has spent three years campaigning and fundraising for a memorial dedicated to three of his comrades who were killed by a roadside bomb in Iraq.
Now aged 42 and the Chairman of the Staffordshire County Royal British Legion, Tamworth-born Anthony was just 17 years old when he joined The Staffordshire Regiment.
On July 16, 2005 he was out on patrol in Al Amarah, Iraq when a roadside bomb killed his friends Lt Richard Shearer, aged 26, Private Leon Spicer, aged 26, and Private Phillip Hewett, aged 21. Two others were wounded.
Wind forward 21 years and on April 11, 2026, a memorial to The Staffordshire Three with an adjoining statue of Watchman was unveiled in the grounds of Tamworth Castle.
The unveiling was the culmination of more than three years of fundraising, campaigning, coordination and collaboration with families, communities and Tamworth Borough Council.
The memorial is entitled Oaths Taken, Oaths Fulfilled and incorporates three Staffordshire Knots, three bayonets and the Prince of Wales’s plumes and coronet. It is a place where Anthony hopes people can remember, pause and reflect. It is dedicated to his friends and to the remembrance of all who have served.
Anthony has been nominated in the Uniformed Hero category of the Your Heroes Awards by Colonel Tim Sandiford OBE, the last commanding officer of The Staffordshire Regiment, in recognition of being the driving force behind the memorial.
Colonel Tim said: “It was he who first had the idea to create a memorial and place of reflection, he who started the fundraising campaigns and participated in so many of the events to raise the £50,000 to make the idea a reality.
“It was Anthony who gathered together a team of volunteers to support the idea, he who led the social media and awareness campaigns, identified and through his passion and commitment gained the support of the sculptor, persuaded Tamworth Borough Council to allow the memorial to be built and saw it through to completion culminating in the parade and unveiling by Professor Liz Barnes CBE in her role as Lord Lieutenant of Staffordshire.
“The unveiling was the culmination of more than two and a half years of dedication and effort. In addition to this remarkable effort, Anthony has had to pursue his own career as a freelance site manager in the construction industry and has found the time to meet the wide ranging and time-consuming role of Chairman of the Staffordshire County Royal British Legion.
“At Your Heroes, we often see larger sums raised and incredible feats of physical endurance to raise awareness of causes. This nomination is not about the numbers. Anthony is worthy of Your Heroes recognition because this amazing achievement is an incredible example of service, selflessness, commitment, resilience and determination.
“To pursue the idea was in itself remarkable, showing both vision and courage – many a regimental HQ and charity has fallen at this first step considering there to be too many hurdles in the way.
“He publicly and openly embarked upon this venture with no senior patronage and no guarantee of success. To achieve that vision on behalf of his friends, all service personnel and the families of the fallen was a humbling demonstration of selflessness and commitment to his comrades. I, for one, am proud to know him.”
Anthony said: “The fact that Colonel Tim has thought about nominating me is amazing. There’s a whole group of us and I still say that the whole team are the people that add the value. I’m just the facilitator.
“I’d been sitting on this idea for about eight years and hadn’t has the confidence to go through with it. You always think someone else is going to do it and they don’t.”
Anthony has been volunteering for 40 to 50 hours each week alongside his full-time job in the construction industry.
He added: “The support that I’ve received from Team Watchman – Greg, Mandy and the boys – has been amazing.”