The plaque, sitting on a granite plinth in keeping with the stonework of the existing War Memorial and Cenotaph at the site on the Galgorm Road, honours the borough's three Victoria Cross (VC) recipients - Private Alexander Wright, Sir George White and Sergeant Bernard Diamond.

And last Thursday morning, it was unveiled and dedicated to their memory in a ceremony organised jointly by the Council and the Royal British Legion and conducted by the Mayor, Maurice Mills, and Canon Sam McVeigh of Limavady, the Legion's Deputy Chaplain, who performed the act of dedication.

It was a particularly proud occasion for local men, James Leslie and William Gordon who had raised awareness about the three VC heroes and subsequently appealed to the council to consider creating a lasting tribute to the bravery they displayed in international theatres of conflict.

Addressing them and the other specially invited guests at the ceremony, Cllr. Mills said the plaque was intended to "be both a symbol of remembrance and a focus of education for young people".

He said: "The Victoria Cross is the United Kingdom's highest military decoration.

"It takes precedence over all other orders, decorations and medals.

"The inscription on the medal, 'For Valour', reflects that it is awarded only to recognise some exceptional act of gallantry in the face of the enemy.

"Such is its rarity, that in the century and a half since Queen Victoria inaugurated the medal, that there have only been 1,353 recipients.

"We are here today to recall the valour of three men from Ballymena Borough who are distinguished members of that roll of honour.

"Each of these men was serving abroad in the second half of the nineteenth century when he won his award."

The Mayor pointed out that Private Alexander Wright, from Ballymena, was serving in the Crimean War in 1855 when he showed great bravery in the taking of Russian rifle pits. He was noticed for the encouragement he gave to his fellow soldiers before being wounded.

During the Indian Mutiny of 1857 Sergeant Bernard Diamond, from Portglenone, was involved in action with another gunner under heavy fire when all the rest of their crew had been killed or wounded.

And turning to Major (later Field Marshall Sir) George White, he explained that although born in Portstewart, he was associated in later life with Broughshane.

Sir George White served in Afghanistan during the Second Afghan War. In 1880, independent action was prompted by the exhaustion of his men under heavy fire and he later lead a significant final charge at Kandahar.

"The full citations for these Ballymena men highlight not only their personal courage, but that this was motivated by concern and comradeship for their fellow soldiers," said Councillor Mills.

"We still make enormous demands of the young men in our Armed Services, sometimes as in the case of Afghanistan, in the same theatre of war.

"The most recent awards of the Victoria Cross have also been to soldiers whose bravery included the protection of their comrades.

"We should remember the past, in order to learn, and hope for a future in which such sacrifice is no longer needed," he added.

Log on watch video report at www.ballymenatimes.com