A PERMANENT reminder to 25 men from a long-established Shaw club who lost their lives during World War One has been unveiled.
The poignant roll of honour, which also includes 20 survivors, has been erected inside the Cartshaft Club on St Mary’s Gate, formerly Crompton Central Working Men’s Club.
It was the idea of committee member Dave Smalley, with painstaking research jointly undertaken by Susan Waite.
In addition to the striking, wooden, wall-mounted memorial plaque, a separate commemoration of names is on display outside the town centre venue.
A total of 45 members from the Working Men’s club fought in the Great War.
Only 20 survived and research is ongoing into what became of them.
“We have a football team at the Cartshaft,” explained proud Dave. “What really hits home is that many who died were younger than some of the lads on the team.
“I went down to Chadderton cemetery and saw one headstone of a lad who was just 15 when he died.
“While we feel it’s important the people who survived receive mention because they will have been traumatised and without access to the help available today, for the people who died, that’s final.
“Sue has been fantastic with her research and very astute. I guess it’s where do you stop?”
Sue, from Shaw, and whose husband Tom is a Cartshaft member, said: “When Dave asked me to help with the research, I just thought I couldn’t think of anything better.
“My dad served in the Royal Navy during the Second World War and my granddad was gassed in the First World War.
“Looking and searching for these people was heart rendering and evoked so much nostalgia. But to be part of it and to help Dave has been a privilege.”
• Crompton Working Men’s Club was originally known as ‘Goats and District Working Men’s Club’ and according to local directories for 1890/1891 was situated at 3 The Goats, diagonal to Milnrow Road.
By 1909 the club was known as Crompton Workmen’s Club and located at Wrens Nest near the railway line off Milnrow Road.
The clubhouse is marked on the 1909 map of Shaw (Sheet 89/10).
But by 1922, the CCWMC moved to St Mary’s Gate.