We’ve helped return a World War I memorial plaque back to South Shields
A local history group has helped return a World War I memorial plaque to South Shields.
South Shields Local History Group has worked with Trevor Harkin, a Coventry-based historian, to return the Queen Street Methodist Chapel memorial plaque to South Shields.
The memorial plaque honours 103 men connected to the Queen Street Methodist Chapel who served in the First World War, including 16 who gave their lives.
Trevor spotted the plaque on an auction site and with the help of Terry Ford, from the South Shields Local History Group, the plaque was saved and given a permanent home in the main entrance at South Shields Town Hall.
In a post on the Local History Group’s website, Terry gave an insight into how he became involved in finding a suitable permanent location for the historical plaque.
He said: “I was contacted by Trevor Harkin, a Coventry-based local historian. He had spotted a World War I memorial plaque from Queen Street Methodist Church, in South Shields.
“Trevor contact the Dominic Winter Auction site who were selling the plaque on behalf of the plaque owner.
“I become involved, as did the War Memorials Trust and the North East War Memorials Project.
“Henry Meadows on behalf of the auctioneers kindly negotiated with the seller of the plaque to remove it from the auction and I started looking for a suitable site for the plaque.
“Adam Bell from the South Shields Museum kindly offered to temporarily store the plaque until a permanent location for it to be displayed could be found.”
The plaque was unveiled by Sir David Chapman, whose grandfather Lieutenant Colonel Robert Chapman originally unveiled the plaque in September 1920.
Sir David was joined at the unveiling by Cllr Jay Potts, the Mayor of South Tyneside, members of the South Shields Local History Group, members of the Armed Forces and Harton Primary School pupils Thomas Moore and Isabelle Thompson.
You can find out more about the plaque and the men on it by visiting: https://southshieldslocalhistorygroup.co.uk/index.php/buildings/memorials/queen-st-chapel-memorial-plaque/.