'Dumped' Wiltshire war memorial finally moved after public outcry

People were outraged when the memorial to the company’s factory workers, who died in two world wars, was left dumped on the grass after a failed attempt to move it.

Mike Jackson, a veteran who served six years in the Army's Duke of Edinburgh's Royal Regiment, said leaving it in its current state was "disgraceful".

"This is a monument to the workers who gave their lives during the wars, and it's just been dumped onto the grass with no due care or attention. It's undignified."

The 1.5-tonne war memorial was removed this month using a heavier crane. (Image: Linda De Santiz)

Now the memorial - - which is engraved with the names of 102 Cooper Tires workers who died in the First and Second World Wars – has been relocated.

It now rests in Queen Mary Gardens next to the Waitrose supermarket around 100 metres away from its previous location fronting the company’s Bath Road offices.

It will stay in the gardens close to the Riverside Centre while Melksham Town Council decides on a permanent location.

The war memorial is gently lowered into place in Queen Mary Gardens next to Waitrose. (Image: Linda De Santiz)

The council, which authorised its move, say they "never intended" any disrespect to those who died.

A spokesperson said: “Melksham Town Council apologises for the delay and for any distress caused in this process.”

The council said there had been delays in securing the appropriate removal licence and co-ordinating a date for the relocation.

Cllr Adrienne Westbrook, the council’s chair of asset management, said she was "delighted" with the move.

She said it was looking "splendid" in its new location and added there was "never any intention" to cause disrespect or offence to veterans or the wider community.

Contractors make the final adjustments before the war memorial is lowered into place. (Image: Linda De Santiz)

Residents complained after it was uprooted in April and "dumped" on the grass when its concrete base proved more substantial than expected.

Contractors used a large crane to lift the "incredibly heavy" memorial and transport it into place in the gardens.

The previous attempt to move the 1.5-tonne stone failed because it was embedded with a more substantial base than expected.

The Cooper Tire & Rubber Company, formerly Avon Tyres, lost 74 employees in the First World War and 28 in the Second World War.

The company’s factory site has been sold but car tyre manufacturing there began in the 1890s.

During the Second World War, the company produced rubber inflatable rafts, pontoon bridges, lifesaving devices and waterproof bags for Britain’s armed forces.