Historian on war memorial mission
AN historian is on a mission to uncover the town’s missing war memorials.
Geoff Archer, who is a member of the Macclesfield and District World War One Centenary Committee, said 40 First World War memorials were commissioned in Macclesfield to recognise those who lost their lives in the war.
But while some of have been retained or rehomed – with Christ Church currently playing host to ones from the Beech Lane Methodist Church, Sunderland Street Chapel, and Hurdsfield Sunday School – a number have been lost.
These include plaques and Rolls of Honour for mills, churches, Sunday schools, the Post Office, and the Salvation Army.
Geoff said the unearthing of the Mill Street Mission memorial, which was found in storage at the Silk Museum, suggests more could lay undiscovered in the town.
He said : “Some memorials have definitely been destroyed, including stained glass windows at St George’s Church and Trinity Wesleyan Church. A number have literally been rescued from the skips into which they had been thrown. Others, thankfully, have been passed on for safe keeping.”
Geoff is particularly interested in the memorial created from ‘ Peace Day’ on July 19, 1919, when oak saplings were planted to celebrate the signing of the Treaty of Versailles which marked the official end of the war.
He said: “In Macclesfield, after day long celebrations in the town, the crowds gathered in the parks where a range of entertainments were provided and it was here that oak saplings were planted by the Mayoress of Macclesfield, Mrs. J G Frost.
“Presumably these saplings, now full grown trees, still exist but where exactly they are remains a mystery.”
Artist Geoff has a particular interest in the role that artists played in the commemorative process.
He says its important the memorials are found so that they can continue to be used as they were intended, and has published the book ‘Not F o r g o t t e n ’, which looks at the history of all the war memorials in and around Macclesfield.
He said: “Unlike other books which highlight the lives of those who died, this is primarily concerned with the artefacts produced in their memory, examining the processes of commemoration, the social and artistic contexts, and the imagery and meaning of the memorials.”
Geoff’s book can be ordered through his website geoffarcher.co.uk.