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    The John Pit & Taylor Pit WW1 Memorial | Shevington | Wigan



    Join me as I embark on a bike ride to visit the Shevington War Memorial in honour of the workers of the John Pit & Taylor Pit Collieries who were killed in action during the First World War.
    The original Bronze plaque was stolen after only a few days of being unveiled in 1919, so 2 replicas were made. One is located in St. Anne’s Church grounds, Shevington & the other is at St. Wilfrid’s Church in Standish.

    Taken from https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/45401 :-

    Previous locations
    Taylor Pit
    B5375
    Wigan
    Wigan
    Greater Manchester
    England

    OS Grid Ref: Undefined
    Denomination: Undefined
    Description
    Bronze plaque with a raised oak leaf and acorn pattern border. A Tudor rose lies each side of the title scroll above the raised inscription. Raised inscription. On sloping concrete plinth. Intended as a replacement for WMR 84115. The Wigan Coal and Iron Company had Plaques installed at their 19 pits and works. This plaque is a copy of the original, which is housed in the Peace Gate at St Wilfrid’s Standish, alongside four other similar pit plaques. This replica plaque was intended to be installed in the original cairn (WMR 18511) on the site of John Pit, but vandalism to the cairn caused the promoters to place it in a less exposed situation at the front of St Anne’s Parish Church in Shevington. Additional dedicatory plaque below.
    Inscription
    In Memoriam/ The Names here Recorded are of/ Those Men who Worked Here/ and Who Gave Their Lives for/ Their Country in the Great War/ August 1914 to November 1918/ as well as the Names of Those/ who Obtained Military Distinctions/ in the War/ Taylor Pit & Washer/ Killed / (Names)/ Honours/ (Names) / John Pit/ Killed /(Names) /Honours /(Names) Additional plaque: THIS MEMORIAL COMMEMORATES / THOSE WHO DIED IN THE / GREAT WAR FROM / STANDISH LOWER GROUND / MINING COMMUNITY WHICH / FUNDED THE BUILDING OF THIS / CHURCH BY SUBSCRIPTION
    Inscription legible? yes
    Names on memorial:-
    Appleton, T
    Ashcroft, G
    Aspey, Henry
    Bennett, A
    Cheshire, H
    Darwin, Thos.
    Davies, R H
    Gaskell, S
    Gibson, T A
    Grundy, J
    See details for all 23 names
    Commemorations
    First World War (1914-1918)
    Total names on memorial: 25
    Served and returned: 3
    Died: 22
    Exact count: yes
    Information shown: manner of death,additional,decorations
    Order of information: additional
    Components
    Plaque
    Measurements: Undefined
    Materials: Bronze

    Music from Epidemic Sound:-

    Into the Forest by Jakob Ahlbom

    https://www.epidemicsound.com/music/tracks/22bf90e8-5c8f-4d42-8a7b-f3d9f0b24d29/

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    50 Comments

    2. @DavidPeterAllen on

      Hi Gaz great to see you back behind the camera, if that pond does have the placard in maybe there might be some magnet fishermen around that could try to mag it out (if its metal that is)

    4. @glyn-top-flight on

      Thats a nice film well done 👏 think its always good to have somewhere interesting to ride to 👍 sad about the plaque been stolen theres some unbelievable people around

    8. @lukehoneythunder on

      Vandalising a memorial is as low as it gets, absolute scum! 🤬

      Nice bike ride and as always an interesting / cool video.

      PS, nice to hear your voice and not some AI Generated fake voice which more and more people seem to be using.

      Thanks Gaz, take care my mate. 🙂

    13. @paulrd007 on

      And another beautiful tribute. Love the intro. You were very close to those branches, at times, on the way home! I'm amazed you only looked round once or twice to check it was still with you! 😊

    14. @AlansEyes on

      Thanks for sharing Gaz, I do like a war memorial, especially as my great grandfather won the Military Medal on the Somme. St Helens Council loaned his medal and never returned it to him, they said they couldn't find it. Anyway, great bike ride, think I might get a new bike and get out and film.

    16. @TerryMcGearyScotland on

      Shocking what people do sometimes. It’s hard enough to keep people from the past in memory without that kind of theft and vandalism. Sad. I’m impressed by the fly under the bridge 👏👏👏👏Enjoy your rides. I might get my bike out soon.🙏🏻👍

    25. @Sylbaris on

      What a poignant story. It’s truly shocking that the original plaque was stolen only days after being unveiled in 1919, hard to imagine what would possess someone to do that. Thank you Gaz for taking us on this ride to see the replicas and keeping the memory of the John Pit and Taylor Pit workers alive.😊 Lest we forget. 🌹🚴‍♂ Have a nice evening my friend.😉

    26. @Walking-With-Darran on

      Another great video mate. I’ve never heard of that memorial so that was very interesting for me. I absolutely love that sort of thing. The drone shot….wow! I’ve still not got one, but it is gonna happen. Keep up the good work mate 🙏🙌

    30. @WinterSeraphinaNatalia on

      Hello Gaz, Thank you for taking us to the memorial and to the Church. Very kind of you.
      I enjoy listening to you talk for you have a pleasant accent which makes this an exceptional video.💯
      The scenery with the bike ride was very nice. You are a Pro with the Drone and it shows.
      Thank you and please take good care of yourself. ☺

    32. @DAoutdoors on

      Hi Gaz
      Superb stuff mate. Who in the right mind would steal a plaque for people who have sadly passed. Words fail me, they really do.
      Great video as always mate
      Dave

    34. @AerialPerspectives24 on

      Nice tribute to the miners, why anyone wants to steal,or move a plaque dedicated to those unfortunate people boggles the mind.
      Good to see you're putting the Neo to good use!👍

    36. @hvee4 on

      Nice one Gaz, begs belief that a memorial plaque would get stolen… very sad indeed but great to see the plaque elsewhere in a safer place… enjoyed this mate..👍🏻

    38. @ladyintheskyuk on

      Great video Gaz. Absolutely shocking that someone stole that. Need to get magnetic fishing down there to see if you could find it. Have a great weekend 👍🏻 😊

    39. @MattandBecExplores-lt9vf on

      A great memorial but such a shame about the stolen plaque 😢. Lovely to see the memorial plaque at the church. Looked like a lovely ride back, beautiful surroundings. Best wishes, Matt & Bec 😊😊❤

    44. @Ade-M-Sco on

      Excellent Gaz. Coming from a mining community, we understand the heavy price paid for the British Industrial Revolution.

      Not only for the deaths during mining, but the shortened lifespan of ALL miners hewing coal from a pit face.

    48. @Steve53 on

      Hi Gaz just catching up on my viewing, not only are you sharing this video, but also showing us its great to get out and explore on a bike,
      its a real shame about the Memorial why cant people look with there eyes then walk on, great follow me with the drone doing a great job.👍👍🎥.
      watched to the very end.

    49. @MotorhomeBeasts on

      Good evening Gaz,wow sad to hear the plaque was stolen,cant understand why anyone would do that..thanks for sharing the story.have a lovely evening 😊❤

    50. @ninja-japan on

      It’s moving to see how these local memorials preserve the stories of those who gave their lives, especially from the mining communities. Thank you for documenting and sharing👍

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