War memorial moved after locals' outrage

A decision is yet to be made on a permanent home for the monument

A war memorial which was left in a state of disrepair following a failed attempt to move it has finally been relocated.

The monument, outside the former Cooper Tire & Rubber Company in Melksham, Wiltshire, is engraved with the names of 102 employees who died fighting in World War One and World War Two.

Local residents were "outraged" when it was uprooted in April and left "dumped" on the grass, after its concrete base proved "more substantial than expected".

But Melksham Town Council has now confirmed it has been moved to the Queen Mary Garden, and say they "never intended" any disrespect.

The memorial had been laying outside the Cooper Tire and Rubber Company since April

The "incredibly heavy" memorial is now in place after contractors were brought in to move it with a crane.

Councillor Adrienne Westbrook, Chair of Asset Management at the town council said she was "delighted" with the move and that it was looking "splendid" in its new location.

She added there was "never any intention" to cause disrespect or offence to veterans or the wider community.

A council spokesperson said last week attempts to move the one-and-a-half ton stone failed because it was " embedded with a more substantial base than was expected".

Wartime production

Car tyre manufacturing at the Melksham site dated back to the 1890s.

During WW2, the company adapted to wartime production of inflatable rafts, pontoon bridges, lifesaving devices and waterproof bags.

The Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, formerly Avon Tyres, lost 74 employees in WW1 and 28 in WW2.

Veterans said allowing the monument to fall into disrepair was "disgraceful"

The memorial was left uprooted and surrounded by plastic fencing in April, to the dismay of local residents.

Mike Jackson, a veteran who served six years in the Army's Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, said leaving it in its current state was "disgraceful".

"This is a monument to the workers who gave their lives during the wars, and it's just been dumped onto the grass with no due care or attention. It's undignified."