'Honoured to be here': Restored memorial plaque is unveiled at poignant ceremony for fallen soldiers from historic Black Country factory
Around 100 people were attendance at a poignant ceremony to mark the unveiling of a restored memorial to remember fallen heroes who worked at a former Black Country factory.
The special civic event was held yesterday (March 14) to honour the war dead from the now closed nuts and bolts factory TW Lench Ltd that was based in Blackheath. It was the re-dedication of a marble plaque that was displayed in the former factory before being put in storage when it closed its doors in 2012.
Civic dignitaries led by Sandwell Mayor Councillor Steve Melia were joined by the Lench family, residents and former employees in the company's memorial gardens at the junction of Carnegie Road and Yew Tree Lane. The restoration and return of the memorial, which carries the names of the employees who paid the ultimate sacrifice in the First World War and the Second World War, was the dying wish of former chairman Robert Lench, who died aged 89 in 2020.
The business was founded in the late 1800s and was in operation for more than a century, with the Excelsior Works famed for its Admiral nuts and bolts.
The memorial stone was originally installed in 1923 to remember those who fought and fell in the First World War of 1914-1918, also known as The Great War, with the names of those from the Second World War (1939-1945) subsequently added. There are a total of 30 names listed on the plaque, and 30 trees planted to commemorate each of the soldiers who did not return still stand in the gardens and in a nearby green space.
Robert Lench's daughter Lindy Lench said: "I think the ceremony was fabulous along with the support from the local people. It was beautifully done with solemnity by Sandwell Council and the leader Councillor Kerrie Carmichael who worked very hard to pull it off. We were also very pleased to see the mayor here and to catch up with people who actually worked at Lench's.
"It's been a very poignant day.
"Robert died in 2020 and it was his wish that the memorial came back to the gardens. When the factory land opposite was sold, one of the conditions of the sale was that this part would remain untouched so that the stone was relaid here. For him it was very important that this was done and that those who lost their lives would be remembered.
