THE legacy of the Durham Light Infantry (DLI) is deeply embedded in the hearts of North-East people, its soldiers having served with distinction in conflicts spanning more than two centuries.

In the First World War the DLI fielded more men than any other British regiment. By the end, more than 12,000 members had died.

A generation later, Field Marshal Montgomery, who commanded the DLI in Alamein, Normandy and Holland during the Second World War, said: “There may be some regiments as good, but I know of none better.”

While it would be wrong to suggest the DLI has been overlooked in Durham - there is a museum and memorial garden bearing its name - the bronze DLI bugler unveiled on Sunday in Durham City’s Market Place is a worthy tribute to a proud regiment.

The location for the new statue has prompted debate, but the centre of the county town is an ideal site for an important monument.

The statue symbolises a moment when DLI buglers sounded the ceasefire in Korea in 1953.

It is a replica of a statue unveiled in the National Memorial Arboretum, in Staffordshire.

An appeal for the original memorial was launched after two former DLI soldiers - signaller Keith Straughier and bugler Richard Softley - visited the arboretum and were dismayed to find the DLI was not represented.

It is right and proper that veterans from the region do not to travel to Staffordshire to pay their respects to former comrades.

Those who have helped raised the £75,000 for this memorial and the £90,000 for the original statue should be proud of their efforts.