Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Works

Memorial
Title

Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Works - Finishing Shop

Images

Locations

Last known location:
G Building
Litchurch Lane Works
Litchurch La
Litchurch
Derby
Derbyshire

Nearest postcode:
DE24 8AD

NGR:
SK 3642 3418
(From online digital mapping)

Location details:
Roughly in the middle of the workshop.

Type

Overall type: Board.

Overall condition: Good. The inscription is legible.

Description:

A nowy-headed panelled and carved oaken board. At the head is a carved bound laurel wreath with a wyvern at its centre and flanked by two triangular panels bearing acanthus leaves in relief. At the centre are two nowy-headed panels, each with a small cross in relief at the head and each bearing ten names in raised metal upright capital block lettering. On each side of the panels are two pilasters, each with finely carved capitals of acanthus leaves, supporting a moulded cornice which extends over the whole top edge. At the foot are two friezes bearing the inscription in upright sentence case gothic lettering carved in relief. At the centre, below the panels and above the friezes, is an oblong brass plaque bearing the WW2 inscription incised in upright capital block lettering.

Components:

Component	Material	Height	Width	Depth	Condition
Board	Oak*	1420	1975	105	Good
Plaque	Brass	70	230	2	Good
Dimensions in millimetres ±5mm unless stated otherwise. * The wood is reported to be wainscot oak.

Inscription

Left panel:

J. T. ARCHER.
W. W. AMES.
G. H. BENNETT.
D. H. BIRD.
G. W. CLARKE.
H. V. CLAYTON.
W. CURZON.
F. W. GAY.
V. HARRISON.
A. V. HINKS.

Right panel:

W. KIRKMAN.
T. MOORCROFT.
J. REGAN.
J. SOWTER.
G. SPENDLOVE.
G. SLATER.
H. C. SMITH.
G. SMITH.
J. E. WALLIS.
M. GOBBETT.

Plaque:

1939. 1945.
A. WORTHINGTON.
H. G. TURNER.

Frieze:

To the Memory of
1914 Our Shopmates who fell in the Great War 1918

Conflicts and people named:
Conflict	First World War (1914-1919)	Second World War (1939-1945)
Number died	20	2
Number served and returned	0	0
Total names	20	2

Administration

Custodian: Presumed to be Bombardier Transportation (UK) Ltd.

Local authorities:
From WW1: Derby County Borough Council (Derby Corporation)
From 1974 to 1997: Derby District (later Borough and from 1977 City) Council and Derbyshire County Council.
From 1997: The unitary authority has been Derby City Council.

History

In 1919 the building was known as the Finishing Shop where joiners completed the wooden components of the railway carriages.

c1919: The board was designed and made by Mr P Hardy and carved by Mr Trueman, employees in the workshop.

31st May, 1919: The board was unveiled by Mr R W Reid, Superintendent of the Carriage and Wagon Department.

Unknown date: The Finishing Shop was renamed D Shop.

Unknown date: Small holes on the face suggest that something was affixed in the position later occupied by the WW2 plaque.

Unknown date: The WW2 plaque was added.

Unknown date: The memorial was removed from D Shop and resited in G Shop.

19 March 2013: The memorial was surveyed by Roy Branson and Andy Savage. It was in good condition and well cared for.

Over almost a century the site evolved from the Midland Railway Company, The London Midland and Scottish Railway Company, British Railways, ABB Daimler-Benz Transportation (Adtranz), and Bombardier Transportation (UK) Ltd.

References

Derby Telegraph; 6th June, 1919, p4; An account of the unveiling with details of design and construction.

Comments

The name of J E Wallis was previously reported as J C Wallis and may have been altered at some time.