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By 1996, some 75 years after its original unveiling in 1921, the memorial had
fallen into a poor state of repair. The statue of a soldier, crafted in Sicilian
Carrara marble had fallen off long ago when the weather took its toll in 1959
and by 1996 its stonework had become stained by dirt and grime, with some parts
crumbling and cracked. The marble plaques were becoming hard to read where
pieces of the lead lettering had started to fall out. Some names had already
been renewed by Selston Parish Council but the ravages of time and the elements
were taking their toll. The Jacksdale Memorial Restoration Group was swiftly formed to address the problem, asking for help from local businesses and organisations. A fund was started which would hopefully cover the cost of an extensive restoration. Members of both the Royal British Legion and Selston Parish Council as well as local residents joined forces. Appeals were made in the local press for help. |
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| Grants & Donations Received. Concert proceeds - Selston Parish Council £106 Lady Hind Trust £1000 Gray Trust £250 Ashfield District Council Grant £200 Notts. Rural Development Assoc. (Coalfield Delegated Fund) £200 RJB Mining Donation £250 *Donations from Local Residents £300 Midlands Co-operative Society Ltd (in kind contribution). £1500 * One donation from as far as the USA. |
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Newspaper Reports Skilled Midlands Co-operative Society stone masons worked flat out to carry out a complete restoration of the War Memorial at Jacksdale in time for Sunday's Remembrance Service. Terry Heneghan and Kevin Western cleaned and repaired the badly weather worn memorial and also replaced four plaques which bore the names of the Jacksdale men who served and died in two world wars. Midlands Co-op made a major contribution to the cost. They were contacted by the Jacksdale Memorial Restoration Group to enquire about the possibility of restoring the monument. They contributed £1,500 towards the total cost of the project, which has been estimated at more than £3,000. In a letter to the society, Mr Edward Holmes of the Jacksdale Memorial Restoration Group said they were very grateful for the help given by Midlands Co-op in the restoration work. "Members of the local British Legion were greatly moved to learn of the impending renovation and the generous involvement of the Co-op. The work also involved inscribing 314 names on to the four new panels which have now been fixed in place on the memorial. A spokesman for Midlands Co-op Funeral Division said, "It has been a major renovation project but we have been delighted to contribute to something which is so worthwhile." Ripley & Heanor News, Friday 15th November 1996. Village's War Memorial is Saved. A Village war memorial has been saved from total erosion and fully restored in a £3,000 facelift. The Jacksdale Memorial will now be rededicated by locals and members of the Royal British Legion in a special ceremony next month. And it is thanks to a rescue bid from the East Midlands Co-operative that the landmark stands proud once again. Villager and British Legion Member, Edward Holmes said, "The monument was corroding beyond the point of repair and something had to be done or else it would have been lost forever." Locals set up the Jacksdale Memorial Restoration Group and raised £1,500, including a small donation from former resident Arthur Storer, who now lives in the USA. |
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| But fund raising was slowing down just as the monument's condition was
getting worse - so Mr Holmes decided to approach the Co-op. "I went to them
because the memorial stands outside one of their shops but we could not
believe it when they came back and said they would fund the rest of the work,"
he said. "It is thanks to them and the villagers that the Jacksdale memorial
is standing proud once again. The monument was first erected in 1921 at a cost of £440, with marble slabs bearing the names of the war dead. The first disaster struck in 1959 when strong gales blew off and destroyed the statue of the soldier which topped the monument. This has never been replaced but is now the next goal for the restoration group. The rededication ceremony is on April 13 from 11.55am. The Nottingham Evening Post 1st April 1997. |
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