Remembering the ultimate sacrifice made by 72 Shrewsbury men

One of Shropshire’s oldest companies has pledged its full support for a campaign to remember 72 men from a small area of Shrewsbury who lost their lives in World War One.

Andrew Goddard, managing director of Morris Lubricants, based at Castle Foregate, Shrewsbury, was moved to action after hearing about a forgotten war memorial at the former St Michael’s Church, which is now the Masonic Hall for the town’s Lodges. It’s the only memorial totally dedicated to WWI in Shrewsbury.

As a first step, Mr Goddard has pledged to pay for the memorial to be cleaned and the company is working with Ken Bishop, of St Michael’s War Memorial Conservation Group, to organise a service on Monday, August 4, 2014 to mark the centenary of the start of WW1.

Built by public subscription in 1921, the memorial stands beneath a large oak tree near the church and remembers servicemen from various regiments who didn’t return from the war. They all lived in a small area stretching from Castle Foregate to the Flaxmill in Shrewsbury and some worked at Thomas Corbett Iron Works, which is now home to Morris Lubricants.

“On this one memorial 72 men are remembered,” said Mr Bishop. “That gives an idea of the scale of loss across the whole town and we need to remember their sacrifice. For that reason, it’s very important the memorial, should look its best.

“We are going to clean it up as best we can in preparation for Armistice Day in November and then the proper clean will take place in the spring of next year.”

Looking ahead to the service on August 4 next year, Mr Bishop wants everyone attending to hold a candle and blow it out in recognition of the comment made by Sir Edward Grey, British Foreign Secretary from 1905-’16, at the outbreak of WW1: "The lamps are going out all over Europe. We shall not see them lit again in our time".

As Morris Lubricants’ founder James Kent Morris first set up in business as a grocer and candlemaker in Shrewsbury in 1869, Mr Goddard and customer services manager Stuart Holloway plan to make the candles for the service themselves.

“We think its fitting that we should make the candles for the service as that is how our business first started,” said Mr Goddard, who now heads Britain’s leading family-owned, independent oil blenders and marketers.

“It’s a very touching story of a war memorial that had, until recently, been forgotten and the magnitude of the fact that 72 men from such a small area of Shrewsbury went to war and didn’t come home. Some of them worked in the buildings that we now own.

“I think it’s very important that we remember the ultimate sacrifice made by these 72 men.”

Mr Bishop said relatives of the men named on the memorial were all grateful for Morris Lubricants’ support.