Territorial Army memorial unveiled at Shrewsbury care home

The wooden cross and plaque, which will serve as a permanent reminder of the TA soldiers who died fighting in the Great War, was revealed at Montgomery House – the former site of the town’s TA Centre – yesterday (FRI) during a special ceremony.

The event was attended by residents of the 90-bed care home, operated by Coverage Care, Lea Cross Singers choir and Daniel Kawczynski, MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham.

Haf Evans, activities coordinator for the home, said the occasion brought to an end a six-month programme of events to mark the centenary of World War One.

Other activities held at the home have included a Forget Me Not Tea Party, a Land Girl Day, and remembrance service on November 11.

She said: “We’ve hosted a number of events here at the home for residents and their families. We’ve found the activities have really brought people out of their shells and today is a great way to round off the commemorations.”

Memories

Emily Schwehr, who is also an activity coordinator at the home, added: “The events have also brought back memories of the Second World War for many of our residents and they have been quite nostalgic and emotional."

The wooden memorial cross, which has been handcrafted by local carpenter John Lennon, stands at the entrance to the home. Artwork created by residents is also displayed along with poppy sculptures in the garden.

Chris Wall, finance director for Coverage Care, praised the hard work of staff and residents and said it was an honour to be able to commemorate Shrewsbury’s TA soldiers in this way.

The Royal Corp of Signals had a TA squadron based at the centre from 1969 to 2010. The base was later used for cadets training. However, in 2015 a line was drawn under the long military history of the site when the centre was pulled down.

It was replaced in 2016 by Montgomery House which is one of 14 centres in Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin operated by Coverage Care.