Remembrance tribute moved — for a shelter (From The Bolton News)

Remembrance tribute moved — for a shelter

9:35am Monday 2nd November 2009

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A ROYAL British Legion club has been forced to move a war memorial — to make way for a smoking shelter.

The four feet-high monument has been at the club in Astley Bridge for more than eight years.

It has now been dismantled and is awaiting a new home.

The memorial features around 40 names, but with no clue to their regiments. The history of the monument is unknown.

A club committee member, who did not want to be named, said: “If there had not been a smoking ban, the memorial would be where it has been for at least eight years.

“Bolton Council put pressure on us to have the shelter because they said people were smoking in the doorways. The location of the building means we had no other place to put the smoking shelter and the memorial had to be moved. We were stuck.”

He said a meeting would decide where it would go ahead of Remembrance Sunday.

“There is a chance it could go in the small garden we have, but other people have shown an interest too. This memorial is not ours,” he said.

The club, in Belmont Road, was given the memorial around eight years ago. It is thought to originate from Breightmet. The tribute is thought to have been only half-completed as it lacks a cross at the top, and there seems to be space for more names.

The committee member added: “We have no idea who the men named on it are, there are no numbers or indication to where they served. However, it is still precious and poppy wreaths have been laid there on Remembrance Day.

“We had no choice but to move the memorial. It was too heavy to lift so had to be dismantled and can be reassembled.”

No-one from Bolton Council was available to comment.

schaudhari@thebolton news.co.uk

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