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Town hall war memorial to remain after backlash

Alex McIntyre,West Midlandsand
Stuart George,BBC Radio Stoke
Nicola Cook A large board mounted on a wall with a ceremonial shield on the left, a bell in the middle, a wreath underneath and a plaque on a right with HMS Vimiera at the top in gold letters and a list of 93 names.Nicola Cook
The memorial paying tribute to HMS Vimiera's crew, who died in 1942 when their vessel struck a mine and sank, will remain in the foyer at Sandbach Town Hall

A war memorial will stay in its current position at a town hall, a council has decided, after a proposal to move it provoked a backlash from residents.

The tribute to the crew of World War Two warship HMS Vimiera has been on display in the foyer of the town hall in Sandbach, Cheshire, since 2023.

But it was one of three locations being considered for Sandbach Town Council's mayoral honours boards, which would have meant moving the memorial elsewhere.

However, at a meeting on Wednesday, the council decided to hang the honours boards – a record of the town's mayors – on the second floor and leave the memorial in the foyer.

The memorial, featuring a plaque, commemorative bell and shield, pays tribute to the 93 men who died in January 1942 when HMS Vimiera struck a mine in the Thames Estuary and sank.

It had become the adopted ship of Sandbach in December 1941 after the town raised more than £163,000 as part of a Royal Navy fundraising initiative.

Supplied An old black and white image of a large warship in the water with the number L29 on the side.Supplied
The destroyer HMS Vimiera sank after striking a mine in 1942

Councillor Nicola Cook, who represents Elworth, said many people had voiced their concerns about the memorial's potential move.

"To even contemplate moving a war memorial is just extraordinary to me," the independent member said.

"There were 93 people who were killed on that ship and that pain is still being experienced by the families. The memory of these men needs to be remembered."

'Cynical approach'

Labour councillor Laura Crane, who represents Ettiley Heath and Wheelock, told Wednesday's meeting the issue had been used to "score political points".

She claimed residents had been led to believe the decision had already been made, when it had not.

"I beg our councillors to stop this cynical approach to politics," she added. "It benefits no-one and just feeds the extremist view that all councillors are the same, that we don't care to consider our actions."

Following the council's decision, Cook told BBC Radio Stoke it was "brilliant news" and praised residents for turning up at the meeting.

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