Bangor rail workers' war memorial is offered new home

A memorial to railway workers who died serving in World War One could be given pride of place at their local station amid fears it could be lost or damaged.

The marble tribute to 16 men was unveiled in 1919 at St David's Church in Bangor, which closed in 2013.

Network Rail is offering to relocate the memorial to Bangor station.

It said its "sympathetic relocation" would enable future generations to "remember and appreciate this important piece of history".

According to planning documents, the Railwaymen War Memorial was unveiled by Captain TF Perkins in March 1919 in the presence of the congregation at St David's Church.

The tablet was made as a tribute to 16 members of the Bangor Railway Institute Boys' Corps who died while serving their country in World War One.

Now that the font, pews, pulpit and other fixtures and fittings have been removed from the church, Network Rail has stepped in to offer the memorial a more prominent display area.

"The memorial is currently at risk of being damaged or lost should the church remain empty and unoccupied," the planning statement claimed.

"Its sympathetic relocation to Bangor Railway Station enhances passengers experience, and enables future generations to remember and appreciate this important piece of history, in surroundings directly associated with those remembered on the memorial."

Gwynedd Council planners are expected to make a decision in the coming weeks, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.