Taylor Pit & John Pit Memorial, Standish Lower Ground

[PaulC78]

This memorial stands on the edge of Birley Wood, off Wigan Lower Road on the boundary of Shevington and Standish Lower Ground in Greater Manchester (or Lancashire, if you prefer).

 

 

From what I can glean online, the memorial was unveiled in 1920 to commemorate the men from the nearby Taylor Pit and John Pit collieries who were killed in the war. By 1999 the memorial was derelict and the original metal plaque stolen. In 2000 the memorial was refurbished and flagstones were laid around the base, but these were stolen within days and a replica plaque was subsequently placed elsewhere, either at St Anne's Church in Shevington or St Wilfird's Church in Standish depending on who you believe (there are actually identical plaques at both churches).

 

IWM states that a "more modest plaque" was placed on the memorial in 2001, but I couldn't see any evidence of that when I visited the site yesterday. In fact there's nothing there to suggest that it even is a war memorial, except for a few poppies that people have left here.

 

 

 

This is the plaque at St Anne's Church in Shevington, perhaps the one that was intended for the memorial.

 

 

 

There is an identical plaque inside the gatehouse at St Wilfrid's Church in Standish, though this is one of five similar plaques commemorating men from other local collieries.

 

 

Edited 5 March , 2017 by PaulC78

[BereniceUK]

I was under the impression that the one at Shevington was the replacement; hopefully safer there than in an isolated spot.