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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

NEW Manchester London Road Memorial


warbuff1

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I have only just seen this topic, and have read through it with interest as I originally come from Manchester.

For many years I worked on Fairfield Road and like others have already said, walked past these memorials around Manchester without giving them much thought.

I have been out here in Australia for a long time now, and reading this topic has brought back many memories. The memory that Keeps sticking in my mind is of the memorial plaque at what I think was Central Station, at the bottom of shewd Hill. The one that had the big Glass dome.

The plaque was dedicated to "The Men Who Marched Away And never Came Back". A thought that always made me feel so sad.

Does anyone know what happened to the plaque, it was on the wall as you entered the station.

I apologize if you feel I am taking you away from your topic, which I will follow, and wish you well with.

James.

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The station I think you mean is Victoria Station (Shudehill) , as you enter via the side entrance there is a plaque next to an archway dedicated to the men who marched away to war through this arch, the exact wording escapes me at the moment, every Remembrance Sunday poppies are placed here. Ralph.

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Hi

My Great Grandad John Moran worked as a Railway Porter but survived the wat 36651 KRRC in the 13th battalion but guessing these are the fallen soldiers?

Sorry I'm new so please be kind in response.

:-) Antoinette Moran

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this is our list I hope that shows rank name and railway grade we have another list with which we made a memorial book and tried to identify as many as possible. thanks all Andy. sorry about the list its goes surname first name railway job rank.

Arnold

Thomas

Goods Porter

Private

Ball

James E

Crane Youth

Private

Bardy

Samuel

Capstanman

Private

Bearder

Alfred

Telephone attend

Private

Birkin

Joseph H

Vansetter

Private

Birtles

Robert

Vansetter

Private

Birtwistle

William

Goods Porter

Private

Blackwell

George R F

Clerk

Private

Blair

John A

Capstanman

Private

Brady

John

Carter

Private

Brierley

James

Vansetter

Driver

Brown

William E

Junior Clerk

Private

Campbell

Daniel

Goods Porter

Private

Carney

John

?

?

Carson

David

Clerk

Private

Chorley

Albert

Goods Porter

L/Corporal

Clarke

Herbert

Porter/Goods Guard

Private

Cohen

Harry

Carter

Private

Collins

Albert J

Clerk

Private

Collins

George

Capstanman

Private

Connolly

James A

Clerk

L/Corporal

Corser

George

Vansetter

Bombardier

Cronkshaw

James H

Porter

Private

Crowder

Joseph

Goods Porter

Private

Crozier

James

Goods Porter

Private

Daly

Joseph

Caller Off

Sergeant

Dillon

James

Loader

Private

Doyle

Charles

Carter

Private

Eccleston

Arthur

Loader

Private

Edgar

Robert F

Carter

Private

Exelby

William

Vansetter

Private

Fitzgerald

T E

Checker

Driver

Flynn

Thomas E

Timekeeper

Private

Foster

George

Loader

Private

Fowler

George

Clerk

Private

Foy

Francis T

Goods Porter

Private

Gould

Frank

Messenger

Private

Green

Harry

Goods Porter

Corporal

Hampton

Tom

Checker

Private

Hannon

John J

Porter/Goods Guard

Private

Harrison

Frank V

Clerk

Corporal

Hennetty

William

Stableman

Private

Hill

Arthur

Loader

Private

Hill

Rowland

Checker

Private

Hornby

John W

Checker

Private

Isherwood

Albert E

Goods Porter

Corporal

Jones

John

Clerk

Private

Lee

Fred

Clerk

Sergeant

Lorton

Wilfred T

Clerk

Private

McKenzie

Robert

Goods Porter

Private

McManus

William

Caller Off

Private

Matley

William

Carter

Private

Moore

Allen H

Carter

Sergeant

Morgan

William

Clerk

Private

Morrell

Frederick H

Checker

Private

Myerscough

Frank D

?

Private

Oatway

William

Clerk

Sergeant

Parkinson

Joseph

Goods Porter

Private

Parsons

Luke E

Timekeeper

L/Corporal

Pickup

Harry

Carter

Private

Potts

Mark H

?

Gunner

Povall

Harry

Goods Porter

Private

Reynolds

Bernard C

Shunter

Rifleman

Sharman

George

Carter

1st Class Stoker

Shelmerdine

George

Yard Sweeper

Private

Sheppard

Albert

Capstanman

Private

Smith

Ernest

Goods Porter

Private

Stanford

Walter

Stableman

Private

Stubbs

Richard H

Goods Porter

Private

Summer

John

Stableman

Private

Sunderland

Arthur

Clerk

Private

Taylor

Thomas

Porter

Private

Tetlock

Richard

Clerk

Signaller

Thomas

James

Checker

Private

Thompson

William

Carter

Private

Tierney

John

Vansetter

Driver

Turner

Arthur

Stableman

Private

Turner

Frank

Capstanman

Private

Walker

Thomas

My great-uncle was William Oatway who I have located on this list. I have a few facts about him which you may not have. Let me know if you're interested.

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Frank Valentine Harrison you will have via the CWGC but his papers have survived if you require more details on him.

George Shelmerdine was a goods shunter in 1911.

William Oatway was born 7-12-1895.

William Oatway was my gt.uncle. He served with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and died on 3 November 1918 at home in Manchester. He is buried in a grave with several other Oatways from his family in Philip's Park cemetery, Manchester and is commemorated on the war memorial there. He was the only son of Edward and Anna Maria Oatway and the brother of Annie Oatway (my paternal grandma) As long as she lived in Manchester she visited the LNWR memorial on Remembrance day to place flowers in his memory. I have the large medal given to all families of those who died in WW1. Hope this is of interest to you. Jean.

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  • 4 weeks later...

Can understand your reasoning, but all in all a waste of time searching the "others" then ? Ralph.

Ralph,

I really hope that you dont think that we have wasted Your time, You have been a great help in this and my heartfelt thanks go out to you

Wayne

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William Oatway was my gt.uncle. He served with the Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders and died on 3 November 1918 at home in Manchester. He is buried in a grave with several other Oatways from his family in Philip's Park cemetery, Manchester and is commemorated on the war memorial there. He was the only son of Edward and Anna Maria Oatway and the brother of Annie Oatway (my paternal grandma) As long as she lived in Manchester she visited the LNWR memorial on Remembrance day to place flowers in his memory. I have the large medal given to all families of those who died in WW1. Hope this is of interest to you. Jean.

Jean, this is excellent news thank you for getting in touch. Would love to chat to you sometime and also see if you'd be interested in getting involved with an article we may run in Manchester Evening news. Please feel free to private message me here and we can swap contact details. William is one of the original 87 from the memorial so he will have his name proudly diplayed for all to see and pay their respects

Wayne

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Hi

My Great Grandad John Moran worked as a Railway Porter but survived the wat 36651 KRRC in the 13th battalion but guessing these are the fallen soldiers?

Sorry I'm new so please be kind in response.

:-) Antoinette Moran

Hi

Yes the memorial will only contain the names of the fallen but the inscription will be dedicated to all those Manchester Employees of London & North Western Railway Company who gave their lives and to all those who served

Wayne

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  • 2 weeks later...

I have only just seen this topic, and have read through it with interest as I originally come from Manchester.

For many years I worked on Fairfield Road and like others have already said, walked past these memorials around Manchester without giving them much thought.

I have been out here in Australia for a long time now, and reading this topic has brought back many memories. The memory that Keeps sticking in my mind is of the memorial plaque at what I think was Central Station, at the bottom of shewd Hill. The one that had the big Glass dome.

The plaque was dedicated to "The Men Who Marched Away And never Came Back". A thought that always made me feel so sad.

Does anyone know what happened to the plaque, it was on the wall as you entered the station.

I apologize if you feel I am taking you away from your topic, which I will follow, and wish you well with.

James.

James - the memorial you mention (as Ralph pointed out) is at Manchester Victoria station. Adjacent to Platform 1 was a goods siding known as the "Fish dock" which gave direct access to the road. This siding was used for troop trains in WW1. Pedestrian access to the siding was through the archway from the main station concourse. Victoria station is currently in the midst of a massive rebuilding program but the arch and plaque are to be retained. The wording on the plaque is "To the memory of the many thousands of men who passed through this door to the great war 1914-1919 and of those who did not return"

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The contract to design, build & Install the new memorial has now been awarded to Mossfords ( War Memorial Restoration Co ) of Cardiff. An excellent company who have been patient with us and helped us with a suitable design for the Station that blends old tradition with a memorial that blends into the Modern Piccadilly Rail Station.

It will be sited on Platform 10/11 at Piccadilly where natural light will filter through the glass roof and the memorial will be seen by many using the moving walkway on their way to/from Platform 13/14.

Funding by Virgin Trains & Railway Heritage Trust has been secured and the first of this funding is now being released to enable detailed drawings to be made and the Granite to be put on order.

I can't yet share any pics of the proposed memorial however I can confirm it will be a light Grey Granite obelisk design with an inscription on the front face to all Manchester employees of the London & North Western Railway Co & a description of the 87 names. The other 3 sides will each contain 29 names per face of the men from the original memorial of London Road Goods Depot listed by Surname & First names

Look out for info in Manchester Evening News and/or Railway magazines shortly for an appeal for further realtives to come forward and also to get the news of the new memorial into a wider circulation

Wayne

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  • 2 weeks later...

Last night Andy and I met the twin Grandaughters of Sgt Joseph Daly from our memorial. A very humbling experience for both of us for them to share their info and show us his medals & death penny & also the letters from a couple of his Officers which were writte to Joseph's wife. It was on this forum that initial contact was made with their friend Sheila after I spotted a post she had made. So a big thanks to all who contribute here. It really is a wealth of info and makes opportunities like this happen.

Wayne

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  • 2 months later...

Jean, this is excellent news thank you for getting in touch. Would love to chat to you sometime and also see if you'd be interested in getting involved with an article we may run in Manchester Evening news. Please feel free to private message me here and we can swap contact details. William is one of the original 87 from the memorial so he will have his name proudly diplayed for all to see and pay their respects

Wayne

Wayne, so sorry it's been so long since I posted on this site but last few months have been hectic. I'm so pleased to hear that ther's to be a new memorial. Not too sure how this site works but if you are able to send me a private message with your contact details I'd be pleased to get in touch with you.

Jean

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  • 2 weeks later...

Sorry for late notice. But their will be a small display of the proposed new memorial and details of the men to be included in it today the 11/11 at Manchester Piccadilly Railway Station. We'll be there on the main concourse from early morning before the rememberence service and also afterwards. Feel free to come along and all are welcome to the rememberence event

Wayne

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Today's event was well attended and service with Readings by Andy, myself and 2 Network Rail employees was great. But what really made it was Sgt J Daly's Grandaughter & Great Grandaughter reading At the Going Down of the Sun. A very moving moment

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  • 5 weeks later...

Wayne, so sorry it's been so long since I posted on this site but last few months have been hectic. I'm so pleased to hear that ther's to be a new memorial. Not too sure how this site works but if you are able to send me a private message with your contact details I'd be pleased to get in touch with you.

Jean

finally managed to get on here again Jean. Apologies for the delay. Have sent you a private message

Regards Wayne

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  • 3 weeks later...
Guest arthur wood

Dear Sir,

First thing i would like to say is well done with this memorial.

I have walked around Manchester looking to see if there was one ?.

Then finding you on this forum is great.

My great Uncle is one of your missing men i have the memorial book Roll of Honour London and North Western Railwaymen who lost their lives whilst serving with His Majesty's Forces During the Great War 1914-19.

his entry states Hill .A.Loader London Road. Private.

He is Arthur Hill: CWGC entry Hill, pte.A.164041. Machine Gun Corps (inf.)13th Feb.,1919.Age 29. Son of Jessie Hill,of 20, Westminster Ave., Reddish, Stockport, and the late James Hill.

S.9.12.Mhow New Cemetery, India.

Hope this is all you need, let me know if need more like previous Reg , medal index, dob, born etc.

Thanks for doing a great job.

Yours Arthur Wood

07973989167

arthur@aquatechdivingcentre.co.uk

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  • 4 weeks later...

Arthur, first of all thank you so much for getting in touch. I'm happy that we are able to do so and to honour your fallen Great Uncle. The memorial book is very special and not many have survived so a very precious thing you have there.

Has a lady called Shelia been in touch with you? If not i'd be happy to pass on her details. She is compiling a list of living relatives with details of the men's family backgrounds etc for us as sadly my work commitments make it hard to get on here and carry out the research as much as i'd like

Regards Wayne

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Guest arthur wood

Dear Wayne,

Thanks for contacting me.

Please give me details of Shelia & i will give her any information needed.

Do we yet know when the Memorial will be sited.

Thanks again.

Regards Arthur Wood

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Dear Wayne,

Thanks for contacting me.

Please give me details of Shelia & i will give her any information needed.

Do we yet know when the Memorial will be sited.

Thanks again.

Regards Arthur Wood

Reply sent in private message Arthur

Regards Wayne

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  • 3 weeks later...

Just an update to where we are at the moment. We've hit the usual ' Red Tape' at the hands of the Council Planning consent but its now been submitted again and we await with baited breath their response. Sadly the original plan of April to unveil seems a little far off now of where we are now. Likely we'll need to change this now.

On a happier note we hav enow found the living descendants of 36 men and reading and seeing mementoes of these guys really makes it even more personal now.

Will update when more is known

Wayne

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  • 6 months later...

Well we finally received council approval now to be hit with awaiting Landlords Consent from Network Rail. Memorial has now be sculpted and inscribed and is awaiting its installation and unveiling. Feel like its one hurdle after another to get this sorted, sadly dealing with people who this does not really interest them and they just see as another "Building Project". Keeping at them time n again and hoping to be able get this sorted for November. Refusing to keep gettimg fobbed off by pen pushers, these Railway men who gave their lives deserve better!!

Wayne

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Many thanks for the update. Keep us informed Wayne.

Look forward to this.

Your very hard work seems to be paying up. Stick with it, as you have.

Nearly there.

G.T.K.

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  • 3 weeks later...

Well we're still awaiting further info from Network Rail but pleased to see that Platform 10 at Manchester Piccadilly has now been cleared of all seats, boards and other station furniture in preparation for ground work to commence hopefully soon

Wayne

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  • 2 weeks later...

It sounds like a very interesting project. I was in several Belgian cities over the summer and their train stations all have wonderful memorials to their railwaymen, especially in Brussels.

Have you also seen the impressive railway memorial in York?

Please keep us updated on the unveiling; I would be interested in coming along.

I've not read the whole thread so apologies if this has already been answered, but are you/ someone from the project putting together background information about the names?

Kathryn

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