Permanent Memorials to Workers

The Six Bells Colliery Disaster occurred at the Six Bells Colliery, near Aberbeeg, Monmouthshire, South Wales on 28 June 1960 when 45 miners were killed in a gas and dust explosion. A new memorial was opened on 28 June 2010, the 50th anniversary of the 1960 explosion. It soars above the former colliery site, a 20 m-high figure constructed of hefty slices of steel that is already being regarded as a Welsh answer to Antony Gormley’s Angel of the North.

Thousands of people attended an event on 28 June 2010 to get a first glimpse of Guardian.

Among the crowd were relatives who lost loved ones, men who survived the accident, religious leaders and politicians. The hope is that as well as remembering those who died and honouring other Welsh mining communities, Guardian will come to symbolise ambitious plans to revitalise the valleys.

“The figure is about remembering the past, honouring those who were killed and celebrating the future,” said Mair Sheen, of Six Bells Communities First, which has led the project. “We have a fantastic past and heritage. The British Empire was built on Welsh coal. But we have a future, too. The valleys are incredibly beautiful. We hope this will encourage people to come. We want it to be a symbol of where we are going.”

The figure is the creation of artist Sebastien Boyesen, who said he had found the experience of designing and constructing Guardian over the past 18 months “inspiring and moving”.

When he first received the brief, Boyesen was worried about how he could create a fitting memorial to an accident that devastated a whole community. “But when I saw the site, a big open space, it came quickly,” he said. “I felt I wanted to do something big – the scale was important. And I wanted a figure, something that represented the men and boys who had lost their lives.”

Boyesen, who worked through the night to put the finishing touches to the figure, said he and other contributors to the £200,000 project did a lot of community consultation, setting up a table in the centre of Abertillery and asking people what they wanted of the memorial.

“We had people in tears talking about it, talking about their loved ones who had died – their fathers, uncles, brothers. It was very moving. It was as if you were talking to survivors from a war. I realised we were doing something that had much more resonance with the people. So often, public art is decorative; this is more than that.”

One pleasing aspect of the project is that corrections can be made to the details of those killed. Mistakes have emerged in previous records, but the project leaders are confident the correct ones have been cut into a steel band that is wrapped around the plinth on which Guardian stands.

Leading a service of remembrance, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, said: “Today is a reminder of the terrible price that was paid by so many, who put their lives daily at risk in the mining industry for the sake of the well-being and prosperity of the whole country and community.

“We celebrate their courage and mourn the loss of life here and in many other places; and we shall be praying, too, for all across the world who still work in conditions of mortal danger.”

Address: Six Bells Colliery, near Aberbeeg, Monmouthshire, South Wales

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Bells_Colliery

URL: www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2010/jun/28/six-bells-disaster-memorial-abertillery

Memorial to the 167 men killed in the Piper Alpha disaster on 6th July 1988 is found in the Queen Mother’s Rose Garden in Hazlehead Park and was unveiled by her in 1991

Address: Piper Alpha Memorial, Hazlehead Park, Near to Cults, Aberdeen, Scotland

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/10032

The National Memorial Arboretum contains the Garden of Remembrance and houses some unusual memorials, many of which are visible from the Visitor Centre. The memorials fall into several categories: Military, Civil Services (Police, Fire Brigade, Ambulance), Charities, Local organizations and Overseas organisations. To see a full list of all the memorials at the Arboretum go to the website.

Address: National Memorial Arboretum, Croxall Road, Alrewas, Staffordshire DE13 7AR, Telephone: 01283 7922333

URL: www.thenma.org.uk

A large explosion occurred at Oaks Colliery on Wednesday 12th December 1866 when 340 men and boys were working underground. Both pit cages were destroyed. When a new cage could be installed only 20/30 survivors were found at the bottom of No 1 pit shaft, many of these badly injured. Ultimately only six of those who were underground at the time of the explosion survived. Those parts of the pit that were accessible resembled the aftermath of a battle with corpses everywhere. The next morning, while over 100 rescuers were still in the mine, signs indicating another possible explosion were observed. All but 28 of those underground managed to escape before there was indeed a second, extremely violent, blast which was thought to have killed all of those rescuers still in the mine. After a third explosion, later in the day, it became clear that the mine was extensively on fire. Early on the Friday morning the signal bell in No. 1 shaft was rang from below and a water bottle sent down by rope was removed. Temporary headgear was rigged up and two volunteers, T. W. Embleton and J. E. Mammatt, were lowered into the shaft. They managed to bring back to the surface, an considerable personal risk, the sole surviving rescuer, Samuel Brown, who had an amazing escape. 14 more explosions were heard and the mine shafts were all stopped up to put out the fires raging below. The Colliery was eventually re-opened using new shafts and openings.

Address: Doncaster Road, Barnsley, Yorkshire (Opposite Kendray Hospital on the crest of the hill)

URL: http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/pmsa/barnsley/0000003a.htm

Workers Memorial Tree, situated at the Sudell Cross end of Northgate, Blackburn

On 11 May 1985, a fire at the Bradford City football ground at Valley Parade, occurring during a live television broadcast of a match, shocked the country. Fifty-six people died and three hundred were injured. There are many stories of bravery and kindnesses on that day and in the aftermath.

Address: Centenary Square Bradford Memorial Garden, rear of the City Hall

URL: www.bradfordcityfc.co.uk/news/article/memorial-service-on-sunday-1542521.aspx

On 21 August 1916 when the eyes of the world were concentrated on the titanic struggle in the Somme Valley, there occurred at Low Moor, Bradford, one of the most awful industrial disasters ever in this country. It took place at the premises of the Low Moor Munitions Company, formerly the Low Moor Chemical Company, situated at the bottom of New Works Road, where picric acid, used in the making of high explosives, was being manufactured in large quantities. Efforts were made by the works fire brigade to bring a fire under control, but to no avail. The first of the Bradford firemen to arrive came from Odsal station and were later joined by 18 men from Central. A tremendous explosion occurred which blew them completely off the engine and, in the words of Chief Officer Scott, “within half an hour of turning out to the fire, all 18 men were in the infirmary or killed”.

Address: West Yorkshire Fire and Rescue Service, Headquarters, Oakroyd Hall, Bradford Road, Birkenshaw, West Yorkshire BD11 2DY, Telephone 01274 682311

URL: www.firewestyorkshire.com/lowmoorexplosion.htm

URL: www.wakefieldfhs.org.uk/genealogyjunction/Yorkshire/Birkenshaw/Firefighters%20Memorial.htm

On 28th December 1882, 54 people, most of them children aged from eight upwards, died when the 255 ft tall chimney of Newlands Mill in Ripleyville collapsed. Another 70 were hurt. The chimney was only ten years old and was known by its owners to be dangerously cracked and bulging. Dozens of child millworkers paid for the owners’ negligence with their lives. Newlands Mill was part of the vast Ripley Mills complex which spanned Parma Street and Upper Castle Street. Over 2,000 people worked in the mills and many were children. The Newlands Mill chimney was 255 feet high and weighed 4,000 tons. It stood behind the boiler house which provided the steam power to drive the spinning frames and looms. There had been extensive coal and iron mining on the site of the mill complex and a warren of tunnels and excavations ran under the buildings. Despite some opposition at the time the tall chimney was built directly over the old pit shaft which had been filled in with wood and other debris. The chimney suffered continually from structural problems and by 1882 cracks, and even a bulge, had appeared and masonry was beginning to fall from the structure. Some repair work had been undertaken during the Christmas break. Although largely forgotten for 120 years a commemorative stone has now been unveiled in memory of those killed in the disaster. This is part of a general scheme to improve the environment and provide landscaping in the St Stephen’s Road area.

Address: At the corner of St Stephen’s Road and Gaythorne Road, West Bowling, Bradford, Yorkshire

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/37266

Workers’ Memorial plaque in the memorial garden at the rear of City Hall, Bradford.

Workers’ Memorial Day plaque was placed here in April 1994 in memory of those killed and maimed in Bhopal, India, and all workers maimed & killed by work hazards.

In December 1984 there was a disastrous leakage of deadly gas from a chemical factory in Bhopal, India. None of the safety systems designed to contain such a leak were maintained. Twenty thousand people have died; one hundred and twenty thousand still suffer as a result of this negligence. The factory has never been properly cleaned.

Address: Bradford Memorial Garden, rear of the City Hall

Construction of a rail link between Leeds and Thirsk in Yorkshire, UK was started in 1845 and the whole project was completed about 4 years later when the tunnel was officially opened in the summer of 1849. In 1846, the first full year of construction, 5 men lost their lives, the following year a further 12 men perished. At this stage the decision was taken to keep detailed records of all accidents fatal or otherwise. This did not halt the fatalities and more men died before the tunnel was completed bringing the total killed to 24.

Address: Bramhope, Kirkgate, Otley, near Leeds, Yorkshire, UK

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bramhope_Tunnel

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/468536

Two memorial stones to two Birmingham and Gloucester Railway Company workers – John Rutherford who died on 11 November 1840 and Thomas Scaife who died on 10 November 1840 after an explosion of an engine boiler.

Currently in 2010 a fund is being put together to try and restore them.

St John’s Parish Church, Grave Yard, Kidderminster Road, Bromsgrove, B61 7JW

URL: http://uk.local.yahoo.com/Worcestershire/Bromsgrove/Churches/2006303974-e-14127.html

Situated close to the lake and bowling green in Central Park.

Address: Central Park, Chelmsford, Essex

The Memorial plaque says:

To the memory of John Walter Hardy, aged 26 years.

Who lost his life by a fall at this spot whilst employed decorating this church, July 1st 1903

“A workman who needeth not be ashamed”

Address: St Thomas’ Brampton and St Peter’s Church, Chatsworth Road, Brampton, Chesterfield, S40 3AW

Address: Astley Park, Chorley, Lancashire

A tribute to the Men and Boys who lost their lives at the Denaby and Cadeby Main Collieries from 1869 and to the women who shared their lives and suffered their loss.

Address: Miners’ Memorial, Old Road, Conisbrough, Yorkshire

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1754970

A memorial garden, with a sundial at the centre, was opened in Creswell churchyard in 1953, on land donated by the Duke of Devonshire. The official report concluded that the fire had begun in Cresswell Colliery when friction from the jammed and damaged conveyor belt built up sufficiently to set it alight. The fire had taken hold quickly, consuming the props and supports around it. As well as recommending several safety improvements, the report also noted that, given the conditions within the mine, the lack of water pressure and the existing common practices, there was nothing more that could have been done to save the lives of the 80 victims.

Address: Cresswell Church, Cresswell, Derbyshire

URL: www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/reminise/memorials2.htm

Channel Tunnel Memorial to 11 Euro Tunnel workers who were killed in the construction – one French worker and 10 UK workers.

Address: Samphire Hoe, Dover, Kent

URL: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Channel_Tunnel_memorial,_Samphire_Hoe.jpg

Address: Riverside Drive adjacent to Discovery Point, Dundee

The tree and plaque are next to the lowest path in Princes Street Gardens, below the entrance to the west of the Mound (floral clock).

Address: Princes Street Gardens, Edinburgh, Scotland

The Memorial commemorates the 189 men who lost their lives in what in Eyemouth is known as ‘Black Friday’ – 14th October 1881. A striking memorial in the old burial ground (now a garden) stands at the sea front and in 1981, a commemoration service was held to mark the centenary. A special tapestry hangs in the Memorial Room in Eyemouth Museum. It records the names of all the boats and crew who drowned in the worst Scottish fishing disaster ever recorded on the Great Storm of October 1881. Also situated in the old burial ground (now a garden) between High Street and Albert Road, is a bronze memorial by Jill Watson that was commissioned by the people of Berwickshire to commemorate the women and children left by the 1881 East Coast fishing disaster.

Address: between High Street and Albert Road, Sea front, Eyemouth, Scotland

URL: http://sites.scran.ac.uk/secf_final/danger/links/link3.php

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/946404

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/946425

On the 1st June 1974, the Nypro chemical plant exploded, killing 28 people and seriously injured 36. The memorial pond is dedicated to their memory. The massive fuel-air explosion completely destroyed the plant and it is thought that had it happened on a weekday more than 500 employees would almost certainly have been killed. The factory was rebuilt much to the dismay of local residents but closed a few years later due to falling nylon prices and was demolished in 1981. The memorial, a bronze casting of mallards in flight, was placed in front of the offices at the rebuilt site in 1977. It was moved to its current location in the churchyard at All Saints’ Church when the factory closed. In 1984 the sculpture was stolen and has never been recovered, although the plinth bearing the names of those who died still stands outside the church in Flixborough. There is a tapestry inside the church that lists the names of those who died.

Address: Flixborough, Lincolnshire

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flixborough_disaster

A unique place of pilgrimage on England’s iconic white cliffs. This National Memorial overlooks the English Channel. The memorial shows a lone pilot looking out to sea and the site is landscaped in the form of a three-bladed propeller cut into the cliff top.

Address: Capel-le-Ferne, Folkestone, Kent

URL: https://www.battleofbritainmemorial.org

Cadder mining disaster on Sunday, 3 August 1913 has a memorial outside Bishopbriggs Library.

It commemorates the lives of 22 miners who died in an underground fire at Cadder, three miles from Bishopbriggs.

It was one of the worst mining disasters in Scotland.

URL: www.scottishmining.co.uk/21.html

URL: www.eveningtimes.co.uk/news/13261113.Cadder_mining_disaster__22_dead_men_will_never_be_forgotten

The Gresford Colliery disaster was one of the worst mining disasters in the country which happened on 22 September 1934 killing 266 workers.

Address: Gresford, Wrexham, Denbighshire, Wales

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gresford_disaster

In memory of the men who lost their lives at Grimethorpe Colliery 1894–1993. On the three open books are the names of the dead.

Address: High Street, next to Grimethorpe WW1 Memorial, outside St Luke’s Church, Grimethorpe, Yorkshire

URL: http://public-art.shu.ac.uk/other/memorials/fi/0000001a.htm

The Hamstead Miners Memorial Trust raised funds to create a permanent memorial to those who died in the 1908 disaster and to remember the mining community of Hamstead. On 4th March 1908 a terrible disaster occurred when fire broke out in Hamstead Colliery causing the deaths of twenty-five miners and John Welsby, a member of the rescue team. The memorial is an original coal tub on rails mounted on a brick plinth. Connaught Plc sponsored the memorial by building the foundations and plinth. The official unveiling was on June 13th 2008 at 2 pm by Dr. Carl Chinn.

Address: Junction of Hamstead Road and the Old Walsall Road, Hamstead, Birmingham

URL: http://miners.b43.co.uk

In November 1944, four thousand tons of ammunition stored in a gypsum mine near Hanbury, Staffordshire were accidentally detonated; possibly the largest single explosion caused by conventional weapons. Seventy people were killed, including ammunition factory workers, Italian prisoners of war workers, army personnel and locals. In 1990 a granite memorial, donated by an Italian firm, was erected near the site.

Address: Fauld, Hanbury, Staffordshire

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1566637

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAF_Fauld_explosion

Address: Church Square, Hartlepool, Teesside

Pretoria Pit disaster was a mining accident that occurred on 21 December 1910, when there was a massive underground explosion in Pretoria Pit, (The Hulton Colliery), formally No. 3 Bank Pit, in Westhoughton, Lancashire between Wigan and Bolton in the North West of England. The colliery was known locally as the Pretoria Pit. There were approximately 2500 men and boys employed by the Hulton Colliery Company in 1910. A total of 344 deaths in this major accident.

Address: Hulton, Westhoughton, Lancashire

URL: www.bolton.org.uk/pretoriapit.html

The Mayor of South Tyneside has been presented with a plaque in memory of those who have died from the asbestos-linked cancer mesothelioma.

The plaque, created by local artist Alan Ball, will be displayed in Jarrow Town Hall for a short time to help raise awareness of the disease, before moving onto its next location within the borough.

Address: Town Hall, Jarrow, Tyneside

More information: https://www.shieldsgazette.com/news/memorial-plaque-honours-victims-of-asbestos-related-disease-384981

This monument features a replica of The Builder, one of two reliefs, the other being The Architect, set into the exterior wall of Gerard Gardens; tenements demolished in 1987. The Builder was saved from the demolition ball by the artistic sensibility of one of the contractors who drilled out the Tyson Smith relief even though the boss had told him to ‘smash it to pieces’. It is a copy of a Herbert Tyson Smith relief which is in the Museum of Liverpool Life. Sculptor: Robin Riley, erected: 28 April 2001, unveiled by George B. Brumwell (modified 28 April 2002). The statue is dedicated to those who have lost their lives in the construction industry. There is a plaque dedicated by UCATT.

Address: Christian Street / Hunter Street, Liverpool, Merseyside

URL: www.liverpoolmonuments.co.uk/sculpture/gerard01.html

On Platform 1 of Liverpool Lime Street station is a commemorative plaque reading:

Erected by their workmates at this depot

To Commemorate

Driver J. Ball & Fireman C. Higgins

who sacrificed their lives in their devotion to duty

20th May 1937

Address: Platform 1, Liverpool Lime Street Station

This granite monument is located in St. Nicholas Place a few metres north of the floating roadway. It takes the form of a 14.6 metres high obelisk with integral sculpture by Sir William Goscombe John, surmounted by a gilded flame. The memorial was originally intended to be for the thirty two engineers who stayed at their posts on the tragic night of 15th April 1912 when the Titanic (built in Belfast for the Liverpool based White Star Line) sank. However, World War I broke out before its completion, and despite some objections, its dedication was broadened to include all maritime engine room fatalities incurred during the performance of duty. Even so the monument is still identified most strongly with the Titanic and arouses great interest because of that particular association. The memorial is an exceptionally early example of a monument raised to working men. The figures are treated with a high degree of naturalism, the detail of their work-clothes being carefully studied.

Address: St. Nicholas Place, Liverpool, Merseyside

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_to_the_Engine_Room_Heroes_of_the_Titanic

The memorial was erected as part of the Queensway tunnel Diamond Jubilee celebrations in remembrance of those who dies during the construction.

Work on the tunnel was commenced on 16th December 1925 by HRH Princess Mary. The tunnel was opened on 18 July 1934 by HRH King George V.

The plaque gives details of those who died during the construction of the tunnel. Names are as follows:

• Joseph Bonner, 26th July 1926, Aged 26
• John Joseph McNulty, 17th September 1928, Aged 29
• James Herbert Brown, 29th November 1928, Aged 18
• John William Blakeley, 7th July 1929, Aged 34
• John McNicholas, 13th September 1929, Aged 55
• Henry Francis Garrett De Moul, 28th September 1929, Aged 25
• Joseph College, 11th December 1929, Aged 62
• James Michael Wilmott, 27th December 1929, Aged 42
• John Carberry, 24th March 1930, Aged 26
• Albert White, 27th November 1930, Aged 42
• Alfred Pitman Duke, 16th July 1931, Aged 45
• Henry Dentith, 15th September 1931, Aged 24
• Patrick Joseph Durr, 29th September 1931, Aged 33
• Thomas Arthur Beckingham, 16th May 1933, Aged 57
• John Carr, 14th July 1933, Aged 23
• James Green, 14th November 1933, Aged 22
• Donald Lester, 15th September 1934, Aged 24

Address: Queensway Tunnel, Liverpool, Merseyside

Memorial plaque to worker who died in the construction of the building.

Address: Rose Court, 2 Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HS

The Firefighters Memorial Charitable Trust was established in 1990 by founder members of the then City of London Guild of Firefighters. It was to enable the commissioning and the erection of a National Memorial to the men and women of the United Kingdom Fire Service, who had made the ultimate sacrifice in the defence of the realm in World War II. In addition the Trust was empowered to hold an Annual Service of Remembrance each year. Commissioned by the Founder Master of the Worshipful Company of Firefighters. The very moving sculpture in bronze is the work of John Mills – a very skilled artist. Rarely do you see such a work of art with three life sized bronze figures actively engaged in their professional duties. In 2003 the Memorial was elevated and the additional names of those lost in peacetime were inscribed in bronze on the raised base. The Memorial was re-dedicated to coincide with the Service of Remembrance in Sept 2003. A total of some 1,192 names were added in bronze to the Memorial. The Memorial with its added height looks even more fitting as a tribute to our fallen firefighters.

Address: It is at the top of the new City Walkway which is also approachable from the south bank of the Thames via the new Millennium Pedestrian Bridge.

URL: www.firefightersmemorial.org.uk

On 19 April 1941, the Old Palace School on St Leonard’s Street in Bromley by Bow, London was being used as a fire station during the war when it received a direct hit from a Luftwaffe bomber. Thirty four firefighters – 13 from London and 21 from Beckenham, which at the time was not part of London – were killed.

In 1997, Firemen Remembered, along with London Fire Brigade, dedicated a plaque in memory of the 34 who died. The plaque is sited on the wall of the current school.

Address: Old Palace School, St Leonard’s Street, Bromley by Bow, London

More information: www.london-fire.gov.uk/news/LatestNewsReleases_Firefightersmark75thanniversaryoflargestsinglelossoffirebrigadepersonnelinEnglishhistory.asp

Sculpted by Richard Healy, the Memorial, which carries the name of each victim, stands in a memorial garden overlooking the scene of the crash on 5 October 1999, near Ladbroke Grove. Thirty-one people, including the drivers of both trains involved, were killed, and 227 people were admitted to hospital. A further 296 people were treated at the site of the crash for minor injuries. Ladbroke Grove Junction, about two miles (4 km) west of the terminus at London Paddington Station.

Address: Ladbroke Grove, London

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/677278

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/677271

A weeping beech was planted in the grounds of Lloyd Park, Walthamstow, London with a small plaque to commemorate those who had died at work.

It was attended by Neil Gerrard, then Labour MP, Pav Alam as Trades Council Secretary and Mick Holder, London Hazards. Lloyd Park was re-landscaped in 2012 with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Big Lottery Fund, but it is now not known what happened to the tree and plaque.

Address: Lloyd Park, Walthamstow, London

Her Majesty the Queen unveiled The National Police Memorial on the corner of The Mall and Horse Guards at a ceremony on Tuesday, 26th April 2005. Present at the ceremony were Michael Winner, founder and chairman of the Police Memorial Trust, who conceived the memorial, designed by Lord Norman Foster; leaders of all main political parties, including the Prime Minister Tony Blair; and the nation’s most senior police officers. Most important among the guests were hundreds of members of the families of the officers whose names are recorded. A guard of honour was provided to families by over 50 constables wearing the uniforms of every UK police force. Also present was Anthony Rae, founder and director of the Police Roll of Honour Trust, which has provided, on behalf of the Police Memorial Trust, the book containing the inscribed Roll of Honour of names of police officers killed in their hazardous duty. This book, which is behind the glass panel in the memorial, is the product of 25 years research and starts with an unknown constable killed in 1680. There are nearly 1,600 names recorded, of those officers unlawfully killed while in the execution of their duty, or in the course of effecting an arrest or the performance of acts of gallantry or other hazardous duty, taken from the 4,000 names on the National Police Officers Roll of Honour of officers who have died in the line of duty.

Address: Corner of the Mall and Horse Guards Parade

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Police_Memorial_(United_Kingdom)

Postman’s Park is a little known City of London retreat. Tucked away from the hungry gaze of tourists is ‘Postman’s Park’, a small patch of public green space in the City of London.

Situated between King Edward Street, Little Britain and Angel Street (near St Bartholomew’s Hospital) the park acquired its name due to its popularity as a lunchtime garden with workers from the nearby old General Post Office. The park was the brainchild of Victorian painter and philanthropist, George F Watts, (1817–1904), the son of a London piano maker.

Watts was a radical socialist who twice refused a baronetcy. He was very sympathetic towards the dreadful living conditions of the urban poor and made no attempt to hide his dislike of the greedy upper classes.

In 1887, Watts wrote to the Times proposing that a park commemorating ‘heroic men and women’ who had given their lives attempting to save others would be a worthy way to mark Queen Victoria’s Golden Jubilee year.

His idea failed to find any backers, so he created the memorial himself in the form of a 50 ft long open gallery in public gardens on the site of the former churchyard of St Botolph, Aldersgate.

Along the walls of the gallery Watts placed glazed Doulton tablets commemorating acts of bravery, each one detailing the nature of the heroic act. The tragic tales documented in the Tablets tell are touching, often involving children and usually concerning fire, drowning or train accidents

Address: King Edward Street, London EC4M 7DQ

URL: www.urban75.org/london/postman.html

Map location: www.londontown.com/LondonInformation/Recreation/Postmans_Park/9ac4/#MAP

There are two memorials to Matthew Gilbert who was killed whilst working the construction of Terminal 5 London Heathrow Airport. The first memorial is a small plaque placed at the bottom of the lift shaft where Matthew actually died.

The location of the ‘public’ memorial to Matthew is far from obvious. It is carved into the stone surrounding the first of the flower beds between the right hand exit of the terminal building and the bus station. It reads “In memory of Matthew Gilbert 1977–2005. Remembered by everyone who helped build T5”

Address: Terminal 5, Heathrow Airport, London

Unite Union memorial bench in Red Lion Square, London was dedicated on 28 April 2015 by Unite General Secretary Len McCluskey.

Address: Red Lion Square, London WC1R 4HQ

URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iQQkg-OV4Is

The Union of Construction, Allied Trades and Technicians (Ucatt) had the £100,000 “Building Worker” sculpture made as part of a campaign for a new corporate killing charge. The bronze statue which celebrates the lives of workers killed on building sites was created by Sculptor Alan Wilson. The figure which sports a hard hat, weighs 300 kg and holds a spirit level.

Ucatt general secretary Alan Ritchie unveiled the sculpture, which is close to the Tower of London.

It is hoped wreaths will be placed by the statue each year on 28 April which is Workers’ Memorial Day.

Address: Tower Hill, London (opposite Tower Hill Tube by Tower of London)

Photo: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Sculpture_'The_Building_Worker'.jpg

Usdaw has a Japanese maple tree planted as a memorial in the grounds of the Central Office HQ.

Address: Usdaw Central Office, 188 Wilmslow Road, Manchester M14 6LJ | Web: www.usdaw.org.uk

Workers’ Memorial Day plaque was put up by GM Hazards Centre in 1992.

Address: Mechanics Institute, Manchester

Address: Peace Gardens, Manchester

Workers’ Memorial Day Tree was put up by GM Hazards Centre in 1996/7.

Address: Pump House, The People’s Museum, Manchester

Memorial to the 18 men who died in the Markham Colliery shaft accidents on 30 July 1973. There was also the Markham Colliery Dust Explosion of 1938 that was caused when some tubs ran uncontrolled down an incline and were derailed spilling coal dust into the air. At the same time they cut an electrical cable causing a spark which was the source of the ignition of the coal dust. 79 lost their lives and 40 were injured.

Address: Markham Colliery, Duckmanton about 5 miles to the north east of Chesterfield, Derbyshire

URL: www.healeyhero.co.uk/rescue/pits/markham/markham_73B.htm

Hester Pit at New Hartley was opened in 1845. A disaster occurred on 16 January 1862, with 204 men and boys died when the giant beam of the pumping engine snapped and twenty tons of cast iron hurtled down the only shaft. The Hartley Memorial Monument is in Earsdon churchyard. Details on the Northumberland and Durham Family History Society website.

Address: Earsdon churchyard, New Hartley, near Blyth, Northumberland

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hartley_Colliery_Disaster

This is permanent memorial placed by UCATT in 2005 in memory of a member killed during the construction of the A1(M) Western by-pass at Newcastle-upon-Tyne.

Each year since then there has been a short wreath laying ceremony at 8 am on 28 April.

Address: WMD Memorial Island, Junction A1(M) and A69 West Side, Newcastle-upon-Tyne

This stained glass window was placed here in 2007. It is dedicated to all those who have died in the workplace or from work-related illnesses. It was designed by Keith Barley and Julian Cole. The window was funded by subscriptions from trades unions, some businesses, Nottingham Occupational Safety and Health Association (NOSHA), and St. Peter’s Church Parish Council. There is a book of remembrance in the Church listing donors. The Church is opened daily for public access.

Address: St Peter’s Church, corner of Lister Gate & St. Peter’s Gate (Marks and Spencer next door)

Location: http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/nottingham-st-peter/hlocn.php

Plan of the inside of St Peter’s Church showing location of the memorial window:
http://southwellchurches.nottingham.ac.uk/nottingham-st-peter/hglass.php

Address: George Square Gardens adjacent to the Spindles Shopping Centre, Oldham, Lancashire

Many brave and selfless RNLI volunteers are remembered proudly in their local communities. However, the RNLI memorial sculpture in Poole is the only place where each and every one of them is named together. The RNLI hopes that future generations of lifeboat crew, lifeguards, supporters and fundraisers will find it a source of inspiration. The large sculpture by Sam Holland, depicting a person in a boat saving another from the water, symbolises the history and future of the RNLI in its most basic and humanitarian form.

Address: Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset BH15 1HZ, Tel: 08451 226999, Email: heritage@rnli.org.uk

URL: https://rnli.org/about-us/our-history/rnli-memorial/names

This memorial was dedicated on Workers Memorial Day 2007 by Portsmouth Trade Union Council members and local MPs. It commemorates the 250 people a year who die from work related illnesses in the UK. A Memorial Garden to those who died from asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma was also opened. The siting of the memorial in Portsmouth is particularly poignant as thousands of workers in Portsmouth Dockyard were exposed to asbestos dust without being informed of the dangers.

Address: Victoria Park, Portsmouth, Hampshire (50 metres north-east of the aviary)

URL: www.memorialsinportsmouth.co.uk/city-centre/workers.htm

Potters Bar has been the scene of two major train crashes. On the night of 10 February 1946, a local train hit buffers at the station, became derailed, and two express trains travelling in opposite directions struck the wreckage. Two passengers were killed and 17 injured were taken to hospital. On 10 May 2002 a northbound train derailed at high speed, killing seven and seriously injuring another eleven. In memorial to those killed, a small piece of art work that resembles 7 faces, was erected on 10 May 2003 and can be seen at the station.

Address: Railway Station, Potters Bar, Hertfordshire

URL: www.railwaysarchive.co.uk/docsummary.php?docID=473

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potters_Bar_rail_accidents

The Workers memorial charity set up in 2016 to raise funds to erect a memorial to workers who have lost their lives through injury or illness.

The memorial was unveiled by the Lord Mayor of St Helens Councillor Pat Ireland on the 28 April 2019.

There is no role of honour as it is impossible to accurately record the names of the men women and children who have suffered and paid the ultimate price in times gone by. This monument is inclusive and is a tribute to all who have so perished.

It is a permanent memorial and is now part of the landscape in St Helens and depicts a man holding a child aloft. Made from scrap iron and old tools gathered from the local area give the statue its industrial pedigree.

Address: Vera Page Park (by the side of St Helens Canal), St Helens, Lancashire

URL: http://shwm.org.uk

East Wheal Rose Mine had a sudden flood in 9th July 1846 and 39 men were killed.

Address: East Wheal Rose Mine, St Newlyn East, Cornwall

URL: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Wheal_Rose

There is a memorial to Asbestos victims put up by the Transport and General Workers Union (TGWU) with support from GM Asbestos Victims Support Group in c2000.

Address: Transport House, Salford Quays, Lancashire

On the 14th October, 1913 the worst mining disaster in British History took place when there was a massive underground explosion at the Windsor Colliery, Senghenydd. A total of 439 miners lost their lives. Three memorials to the disaster are located in Senghenydd. The first is a memorial outside Nant-y-parc Primary School, which is built on the site of the old mine. At St. Cenydd Comprehensive School, lies a list of names of those who died from the explosion, and they have a truck of coal as a memorial. On Senghenydd square, inscribed upon the big clock centred in the middle of the road, are the names of the many miners who perished in the disaster.

Address: Senghenydd, Caerphilly, Wales

URL: www.geograph.org.uk/photo/538677

The memorial to the men who lost their lives working on the Lancaster and Carlisle Railway line in the 1840s is to be found in the church yard to the North of the building near the main gate. The workers who died are buried at St. Michael’s Church, Shap.

Address: St Michael’s Church, Shap, Cumbria

URL: www.gravestonepix.com/contents1a/2009/10/rail-workers-monument-shap/

Address: Sheffield, Yorkshire (situated in front of the Town Hall)

The Church of St. Thomas at Stanley Crook, in County Durham holds an annual Workers Memorial Day service on 28 April that is organised by the North East Shop Stewards Network (NESSN).

St Thomas’s church is on the B1699 road, high in the Durham hills, over 1000 feet above sea level, overlooks the rapidly expanding town of Crook, with commanding views over the Durham Dales and the North Pennines. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty; while to the North is the secluded splendour of the Deerness Valley.

The memorial window was dedicated by The Rt Rev. Michael Turnbull, then the Lord Bishop of Durham in a ceremony on 8th December 2002.

Bill Lawrence’s photos were taken in the evening light looking out through the trees and over the Dales.

The detailed inscription on the window is in one of the photos and there is also one of the framed notice highlighting the significance of WMD.

The church website also has a page dedicated to WMD.

Address: Church of St. Thomas, Stanley Crook, Co. Durham

URL: https://www.stanley-crook.co.uk/workersmemorial.htm

Workers’ Memorial Day was celebrated in an unusual way on 30 April 2003 at St Bartholomew’s, Sydenham, Kent, UK when Colin Buchanan, Bishop of Woolwich, rededicated the 150-year-old Workmen’s Grave in the churchyard, after major restoration work. The grave contains the remains of 10 men killed in an accident on Monday 15 August, 1853 at the site in Sydenham where the Crystal Palace was being re-erected following its year as the venue for the Great Exhibition in Hyde Park. When the funeral took place at St Bartholomew’s, up to 3,000 people took part in a procession from the Palace to the church. 10 men were buried just outside the south door and a simple slab beneath a large yew tree has marked the grave for 150 years.

Over the years, the names had become indecipherable, so there was a need to have the tablet re-cut and cleaned up. The Sydenham Society and St Bartholomew’s PCC working together have enabled this to be achieved in time for the 150th anniversary. Local people contributed to an appeal, but the bulk of the money came from the Heritage of London Trust. The restoration was carried out under the guidance of Donato Bianco of English Heritage. The railings were restored and painted the original green by Mather and Smith. A new York stone tablet was provided by local monumental masons Messrs Francis Chappell, as the original stone was too crumbly to cut into.

Address: St. Bartholomew’s Church, Westwood Hill, Sydenham, South-East London, London Borough of Lewisham

URL: https://www.achurchnearyou.com/church/836/page/2051/view

The rail accident occurred on 15 February 2004 near Tebay, Cumbria when four railway workers working on the West Coast Main Line were knocked down and killed by a trolley carrying lengths of rail. It had not been properly secured and had run away from a maintenance yard several miles away.

Address: At the end of the road over the old Lune Bridge, Tebay, Cumbria

URL: www.visitcumbria.com/evnp/tebay

The Workers Memorial Day Tree in Wolverhampton was planted in 1991 by the Cenotaph, St Peters Square, Wolverhampton.

2011 is the 20th annual commemoration and is always held 12.30 pm at the tree.

Address: By the Cenotaph, St Peters Square, Wolverhampton WV1 – opposite the Civic Centre

URL: www.wolvestuc.org.uk/?option=com_content&view=article&id=276&catid=8&Itemid=29