Roger Robinson with another former mayor of Camden, Nash Ali, at the unveiling of the memorial in 2012

HARRINGTON’S diary can’t be signed off this week without a mention for Roger Robinson ­– one of the longest serving councillors London has seen.

He passed away this week aged 86 leading to a flow of tributes for a lifetime of helping others.

Roger had been at the first meeting of Camden Council after its formation in 1964 and, over two stints, served for 38 years in the Town Hall chamber in that borough including a spell as the mayor. One of his most impressive campaigns was his successful drive to get a memorial to the service personnel who suffered and died in labour camps in the Far East.

The railway sleeper sculpture in Camden Town was the first time this group had been properly recognised despite the number of monuments to war heroes across the UK.

It’s a wonderful legacy.