War memorial for pottery workers to be replaced
The plaque outside the Royal Doulton pottery in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, was believed to have been stolen shortly after the factory closed in 2005.
The site has since been redeveloped into more than 200 homes, with developer St Modwen promising to replace the memorial.
It will be built at the Nile Street housing estate, and will commemorate the former workers who fought in the wars and allied soldiers across the world.
Work began on VE Day. Mike Lightfoot, who was an employee at Royal Doulton for two decades, told BBC Radio Stoke it meant a lot to him.
"I worked with veterans on this site. I saw some of the lads with physical scars, and a lot with mental scars that we didn't recognise that day," he said.
"It's in recognition, not just to the fallen, but the veterans who came back and carried on working."
The names of the workers who died in World War One and World War Two will be listed on the memorial.
Mr Lightfoot, who helped to organise the project, said he was keen to get in touch with families of the Burslem veterans to get further details about their service during the wars.
The memorial is due to be completed before an unveiling ceremony takes place on 14 August.
Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Potteries to be developed with £10m fund
Royal Doulton
St Modwen Homes
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
'Parsnip coffee and no heating - how I survived the German occupation'
It has been 85 years since the German occupation began in Jersey during World War Two, but 92-year-old David Isherwood still vividly remembers the anguish of those five years — from freezing winters, when it was too cold to go to school due to a lack of fuel, to being desperately hungry. But, Mr Isherwood said it was not all bad being a child during the tumultuous period. He enjoyed the adventure of watching soldiers training to shoot their guns, and along with his friends, he would "take the mick out" of the troops by imitating their goose-step march - perhaps unsurprisingly, the soldiers "really didn't like". Despite their irritation, if you kept your head down you were left you alone, Mr Isherwood said, adding: "It was an adventure in a way for children." He was seven when 1,750 German troops arrived in Jersey on 1 July 1940 - a force that would swell to 11,500 by the end of that year. He recalls soldiers smashing the window of the masonic temple on Oxford Road, in St Helier, during target practice. Mr Isherwood said the troops had taken over a garage opposite the Temple Bar pub on nearby Stopford Road. He said: "Outside of the garage they used to put two-pack guns, which were anti-tank guns and fire [them]. "Every six weeks they would close the street and fire at targets which they had fixed in Oxford Road. "As kids, it was where you would go to see pack guns firing off," he said. However, despite the youthful hi-jinks, many of his memories from the war were not happy ones. When the Germans arrived, they rapidly introduced strict regulations. The islands clocks were set to European time and there was a curfew between 23:00 and 05:00. Islanders were banned from using vehicles, except those with special permission such as doctors. Mr Isherwood remembers being "starving hungry" from about 1942 or 1943, as well as freezing cold because of a lack of fuel. His mother, along with other local women, would stand waiting with buckets and brooms when the coal boat arrived - hoping some lumps would fall off the trucks as they turned the corner onto Victoria Street. "That's how desperate it was," he said. He also remembers the winter of 1944 to 1945, when it was so cold his school had to close for seven weeks from January. The children used to sit in their coats in the classroom and parents were asked to knit hats and gloves for the children, he said. Despite the hardships, Mr Isherwood survived the occupation. He was one of the first children to collect a Red Cross parcel from the SS Vega - an event captured in a now-famous photo. Later he trained as a cabinet maker, meeting his future wife Yvonne during that time, and also spent 28 years working for the island's waterworks. Mr Isherwood spoke to King Charles III and Queen Camilla about the food shortages during the occupation whey they visited to the island in 2024. A British military blockade meant it was difficult for the Germans to receive food to the islands, leading to food shortages. A lot of islanders died from malnutrition, he said. The shortages led islanders to improvise substitute foods and drinks. He remembered his mother making parsnip coffee during the war, agreeing with a friend that: "It was awful then and it's awful now." More news stories for Jersey Listen to the latest news for Jersey Follow BBC Jersey on X and Facebook. Send your story ideas to WW2 food parcel delivery 'immensely significant' Holocaust records available for islanders to view What happened in the Channel Islands during WW2? Channel Island Occupation Society Jersey Heritage
Yahoo
25-06-2025
- Yahoo
Shipbuilding hall named after 'pioneering' female electrician opens
A giant new shipbuilding hall named after a pioneering female electrician has officially opened on the River Clyde in Glasgow. The Janet Harvey Hall in Govan is big enough for two Type 26 anti-submarine warships to be built side-by-side. Ms Harvey, who worked in the Clyde shipyards from the age of 18, was one of a handful of women alongside a 100,000-strong male workforce in World War Two. The new facility is part of a £300m modernisation at BAE Systems in Glasgow. More stories from Glasgow & West Scotland More stories from Scotland The defence manufacturer is building eight Type 26 frigates for the Royal Navy. The first vessel HMS Glasgow entered the water in December 2022. HMS Belfast and HMS Birmingham are currently being built in the new hall. It measures 170m (558ft) long and 80m (262ft) wide, with two 100-tonne cranes and two more 20-tonne cranes inside. It will allow warships to be built fully undercover in Glasgow for the first time and reduce the time between ship deliveries. Simon Lister, Managing Director of BAE Systems' naval ships business, said: "The Janet Harvey Hall marks a major step forward for shipbuilding in Glasgow and will help enable efficient and safe shipbuilding for decades to come. "It's a symbol of pride, not just for our skilled workforce who bring these ships to life, but for the entire city." Janet Harvey's nieces joined Glasgow's Lord Provost to cut the ribbon on the facility. Ms Harvey died on Armistice Day in 2023 at the age of 101. She was recognised for her "significant contribution" to the UK's war efforts when she was awarded an Honorary Degree for engineering by Glasgow Caledonian University at the age of 96. The female shipbuilder cast aside after the war Shipbuilding hall named after 'pioneering' female engineer
Yahoo
22-06-2025
- Yahoo
Service for WW2 British soldier killed in Alderney
A memorial service has been held for the only British serviceman to die on active duty in Alderney during World War Two, 80 years on. About 40 people attended the service on Saturday, at Sapper George Onions' grave in St Anne's church cemetery, on the island. The Royal Engineer died on his 22nd birthday on 21 June 1945 while clearing the island of mines after the German Occupation. The service, led by Reverend David Stretton, included wreath laying by States of Alderney president William Tate, schoolchildren and reservists from the Guernsey section of the Jersey Field Squadron. A simple service is held annually to remember Sapper Onions, who was born in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent. It is believed he died while unloading a lorry carrying supposedly decommissioned mines and detonators, one of which accidentally exploded. The organisers, Alderney Churches Together said Sapper Onions is remembered with affection for both his service and his engagement with the local community. More news stories for Guernsey Listen to the latest news for Guernsey Alderney Churches Together Follow BBC Guernsey on X and Facebook and Instagram. Send your story ideas to
