Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Works

Memorial
Title

Midland Railway Carriage and Wagon Works - Unidentified Department

Images

Locations

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

Nearest postcode:
DE24 8AD

NGR:
SK 36396 34342
(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 carved oaken board. The board is mainly round but has intricate details around the perimeter. The main section depicts two crossed laurel branches carved in relief, curling round to form a broad border to the circle but with their stems projecting at the foot. In the centre is the list of names incised in upright capital block lettering coloured gold and encircled by a ribbon in relief bearing the inscription in upright capital block and roman lettering also in relief and all picked out in gold. At the head is carved the Midland Railway crest comprising an heraldic wreath supporting a wyvern. The whole appears to be varnished.

Components:

Component	Material	Height	Width	Depth	Condition
Board	Oak	950	800	80	Good
Dimensions in millimetres ±5mm unless stated otherwise.

Inscription

Ribbon around names:

TO THE MEMORY OF OUR SHOPMATES.
1914 PEACE 1918

Centre of panel:

H. HARVEY.
J. WRIGHT.
F. W. WESTON.
V. BATES.
W. F. HALL.
W. HANMER.
W. WHEATLEY.
H. JOHNSON.

Conflicts and people named:
Conflict	First World War (1914-1919)
Number died	8
Number served and returned	0
Total names	8

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

1920s: It was the practice at the time for memorials to be made in the respective workshop by the employees. The detailed carving and possible varnish finish suggests that it may originally have been mounted in one of the woodworking departments.

25 November 1999: The memorial was reported to have been in the "French Polishing Shop" but the building has not been identified.

19 March 2013: The memorial was surveyed in E Building by Roy Branson and Andy Savage and it was in good condition. Company staff were of the opinion that the memorial had previously been in D Building.

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

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Comments

The memorial cannot be currently attributed to a particular department. Plans of the works in the early 20C do not identify a French Polishing Department. G Building housed the Carriage Painting Shop and the Varnishing Shop. D and E Buildings contained several departments relating to joinery and wood trimming.