War Memorials / Rolls of Honour in private business premises?

[JGGB]

Many memorials are in public places and in view but there must be a small number still that are out of the public gaze i.e. within the private workplaces belonging to local, well-established or old-established businesses?

In Northern Ireland, I know of the Northern Banking Company & Belfast Banking Company War Memorials / Rolls of Honour that are displayed in private areas of their business premises.

Can anybody indicate where others would be (excluding places odf worship)?

[daggers]

Sports clubs, social clubs, railway premises to name but a few. Have a look at the UKNIWM site which will show the variety of locations.

D

[Ian Riley]

Head offices of insurance firms and banks. for instance, such at the Martin's Bank Memorial, presently locked inside the now-unoccupied banking hall in the sometime Head Office in Water Street in Liverpool. it might actually be the Bank of Liverpool rather than Martin's Bank (the amalgamation took place in 1918)

Ian

[daggers]

Yes, BofL.

D

[Ian Riley]

Daggers,

I knew that you would be along in moments. Thanks very much.

Ian

[BereniceUK]

The two memorials for Tamworth's postal staff are in the non-public area of the sorting office, and the memorial tablet for Royal Doulton in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, is not accessible by the public (although the owners of the site will send a photo of the memorial if asked). Much of the factory has been demolished and the remainder is awaiting redevelopment.

[keithmroberts]

Although the database is almost certainly far from complete a search on almost any town in the UKNIWM will produce examples.

Keith

[JGGB]

Thanks to all. It is more the big business with perhaps multiple memorials that are hidden away from the public that would concern me.

[jbw541]

Royal Mail are supposed to be the second largest custodians of War Memorials in the UK, after the church. As Berenice UK notes, many of their Memorials are in areas which cannot be easily accessed by the public. The ones that I`ve seen have been placed in the main staff entrances or a prominent place on the work floor. The only exception to this that I know of, was a full size bronze statue of a P.O. Rifleman, placed above the names of his fallen workmates. This handsome Memorial was in the public (counters) part of King Edward Building P.O., City of London. Unfortunately I think that the bronze Rifleman was lost in a fire, whilst being held in storage, when K.E.B. closed around 10 years ago. Royal Mail have catalogued many of their War Memorials, which you can view on their website. Unfortunately, last time that I checked, they neither had the names of the men, on the burnt K.E.B. memorial nor a picture of the bronze Rifleman. Very sad.

Edited 6 May , 2013 by jbw541

[delta]

Memorials to those GWR employees who worked in the various departments at the railway works at Swindon are visible to all now that the building has been reopened as a shopping outlet centre.

[Andy Wade]

There's a well kept Post Office memorial in Keighley sorting Office, but we're missing a 14' long x 6' high Hattersley's memorial (engineering firm), Prudential Assurance memorial and a Cycling Club memorial. Also a local Conservative Club had a set of framed pictures of the fallen which seemed to have fallen off the face of the earth.

Here's the Keighley Post Office one, I wish they were all as accessible as this one, note the sign underneath:

[Ralphed]

There is a small plaque in the Wellingborough postal sorting office. I can't remember how many names but there is at least one photo of one of the men on the wall.

[daggers]

The old Head Post Office in Liverpool's Victoria Street, now a high priced shopping mall, has a fine memorial, well looked after when I last saw it.

(Come to think of it, all post offices are now high priced.)

D

[John(txic)]

Here's a link to the Post Office War Memorials:

http://catalogue.postalheritage.org.uk/dserve/bpmadocs/memorials.htm with a searchable database.

Most commendable.

[Sepoy]

There used to be a small WW1 war memorial (in the form of a bronze plaque) in the banking hall of the National Westminster Bank Aldershot Wellington Street Branch (formerly the Westminster Bank). From memory it only named two people including one with the surname Vincent.

Although, I worked at the Branch for about 7 years, I never tried to research the names, but that was in the days prior to the internet. I always made certain that a wreath was placed by it for remembrance days.

It was still on display when I left in 1987, but I think it disappeared when the branch was revamped in the late 1990s/early 2000s.

Sepoy

[daggers]

I have just remembered that a number of memorials which were once in certain insurance company premises are now at the National Memorial Arboretum. They are listed on their website as Royal Sunalliance, but most will predate that merger.

D

[The Scorer]

There are two memorials in the Welsh Government offices at Cathays Park, Cardiff. One is to the staff of the Welsh Health Insurance Commission who died in the First World War, and the second is to the staff of the Welsh Board of Health who died in the Second World War. The latter became the Welsh Office and is now the Welsh Government. Both memorials are visible without going through security, but it's better to ask permission first; if anyone wants access, I can probably arrange this, so let me know.