NatWest Bank - Irlams o' th' Height

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The first two memorials pictured hereunder were only hung in the bank last week.

1914 - 1918 TOM GAMBLE CAPES

Rank: Private
Service No: PS/10143
Date of Death: 12/10/1916
Age: 19
Regiment/Service: Royal Fusiliers 8th Bn.
Grave Reference 8.
Cemetery MORCHIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Tom S. and Caroline Capes, of 68, South Parade, Pudsey, Leeds. Born at Eccles, Lancs.


and JAMES HOLT



1914 - 1918 ALFRED SIMM
Rank: Private
Service No: 251482
Date of Death: 23/06/1917
Age: 22
Regiment/Service: Manchester Regiment 1st/6th Bn.
Grave Reference C. 10.
Cemetery RUYAULCOURT MILITARY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of William and Sarah Ann Simm, of 253, Crow Lane West, Newton Common, Newton-le-Willows, Lancs. A bank clerk.
For more information see this site.

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The following two memorials have been at this branch for a number of years.


1914 - 1918 ALAN JAMES WELSH
Rank: Lance Corporal
Service No: 107332
Date of Death: 25/04/1918
Age: 20
Regiment/Service: Machine Gun Corps (Infantry) 49th Bn.
Grave Reference III. F. 7.
Cemetery WULVERGHEM-LINDENHOEK ROAD MILITARY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Mr. W. J. C. and Alice A. Welsh, of 39, Kipling St., Higher Broughton, Manchester A clerk in Parr's and Westminster Bank, Pendleton, Manchester.



1939 - 1945 THOMAS BRIAN GRAVES
Rank: Leading Aircraftman
Service No: 1431510
Date of Death: 09/02/1945
Age: 24
Regiment/Service: Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve 83 Sqdn.
Awards: Mentioned in Despatches
Grave Reference Row 64. Grave 1260.
Cemetery CONINGSBY CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Thomas Herbert and Agnes Graves; husband of Elizabeth Marguerite Graves, of Leeds, Yorkshire.

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Email received from the RBS archives:

Thank you for your enquiry relating to the war memorials at NatWest's Irlams o' th' Height branch.

The two memorials that were already in the branch (commemorating A Welsh and T Graves) came from the Pendleton branch of Westminster Bank.

The newly-installed memorials - on the oak-finish boards - came from two different branches - that commemorating T Capes and J Holt from Manchester Docks branch of Westminster Bank and that commemorating A Simm from Manchester Regent Road branch of Westminster Bank. Both of these had been moved to the chapel at National Westminster Bank's Heythrop Park training centre, probably upon the closure of the branches, and then taken into the Group archive upon the sale of Heythrop Park a decade ago.

Our aim now is to put all our branch war memorials back up on public display in appropriate branches, these are generally the offices that inherited the business of the branches in which our Fallen served.

I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Their decision to get the memorials up on public display should be applauded.

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Aug 30, 2013 13:51:54 GMT shred said:

The first two memorials pictured hereunder were only hung in the bank last week.

1914 - 1918 TOM GAMBLE CAPES

Rank: Private
Service No: PS/10143
Date of Death: 12/10/1916
Age: 19
Regiment/Service: Royal Fusiliers 8th Bn.
Grave Reference 8.
Cemetery MORCHIES COMMUNAL CEMETERY
Additional Information: Son of Tom S. and Caroline Capes, of 68, South Parade, Pudsey, Leeds. Born at Eccles, Lancs.


and JAMES HOLT

[oldsalfordian]

Aug 30, 2013 17:18:47 GMT shred said:

Email received from the RBS archives:

Thank you for your enquiry relating to the war memorials at NatWest's Irlams o' th' Height branch.

The two memorials that were already in the branch (commemorating A Welsh and T Graves) came from the Pendleton branch of Westminster Bank.

The newly-installed memorials - on the oak-finish boards - came from two different branches - that commemorating T Capes and J Holt from Manchester Docks branch of Westminster Bank and that commemorating A Simm from Manchester Regent Road branch of Westminster Bank. Both of these had been moved to the chapel at National Westminster Bank's Heythrop Park training centre, probably upon the closure of the branches, and then taken into the Group archive upon the sale of Heythrop Park a decade ago.

Our aim now is to put all our branch war memorials back up on public display in appropriate branches, these are generally the offices that inherited the business of the branches in which our Fallen served.

I hope this is helpful.

Yours sincerely

Their decision to get the memorials up on public display should be applauded.

It should indeed be applauded, but a report in the MEN of 21 May 2015 (on its website) said that the Irlam's o' th'Height NatWest branch was one of three in the greater Manchester area that would be closing in August & September of that year. Another website gives its opening times as closed every day, suggesting the closure went ahead. Do we know what has happened to the personal plaques?

Old Salfordian

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Old Salfordian,

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We will email the RBS archives asking where the memorials have been re-sited.

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Speedy reply from the RBS archives:

I can tell you that on the closure of Irlams o’ th’ Height branch all of the memorials you have listed were moved to Eccles, Monton Road branch.