Evening Press leader

Few campaigns can have enjoyed such extensive royal support as that to build a memorial to the women of the Second World War in Trafalgar Square. The Queen, who played her part in the Allied victory as a member of the ATS, has endorsed the crusade. Princess Anne is its vice patron. And today Prince Charles has added another royal seal of approval.

His Prince of Wales Charitable Trust has sent a donation to the appeal fund. The money will be greatly appreciated, although the gift is more valuable as a way of boosting the campaign's profile.

It certainly increases the momentum in favour of the memorial, which now appears to be unstoppable. In addition to the royal support, Commons Speaker Betty Boothroyd is patron and nearly 300 MPs have signed up to the cause.

We only have a matter of weeks to find out if the campaign has been a success. Playwright Sir John Mortimer, chairman of the committee appointed to decide the matter, is expected to make his recommendation to Culture Secretary Chris Smith after the London Lord Mayor elections next month.

The ultimate decision will rest with the new mayor. Front-running candidates Ken Livingstone and Frank Dobson, no doubt aware of the overwhelming public support for the memorial, have already signalled their backing.

Talk of the London election and the empty plinth in Trafalgar Square makes the campaign seem very distant. Yet it is being spearheaded from our doorstep, the HQ being at Imphal Barracks, York.

Moreover, this is a national issue that deserves national support. It is a scandal that there is no official monument to commemorate the contribution of women in the Second World War. Whether they saw active service in the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service and other units, worked in munitions factories or kept Britain going in a thousand and one other ways, their efforts have been ignored for too long.

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