Tunstead remembers those who served at the Battle of the Somme

Apprentices at Tarmac’s Tunstead site near Buxton unveiled a poppy that has been made in memory of 15 men who worked at the Buxton Lime Firms and served at the Battle of the Somme. The metal poppy, which stands a metre tall, marks the centenary of the battle and will be kept in the reception office at Tunstead House as a permanent memorial to the men who died in the battle. Engraved on each of the petals are the names of the men who lost their lives.

Viv Russell, lime and powders director at Tunstead, said: “We are really proud of our heritage here at Tunstead and were keen for our apprentices to use their skills to create a fitting memorial as a permanent reminder of those who died during the battle.”

The serving Tunstead employees were part of the 1/6th Battalion, the territorial force for North and North East Derbyshire. Lance Corporal James Alfred Stanley Spencer was working as a quarry labourer at Tunstead before serving in the battle. Other Tunstead employees involved included Private Sydney Norton, a blacksmith’s striker, and Tommy Sidebotham, the youngest serving employee at just eighteen years old.

Adapted from press release by Rebecca Bowden

Read the article online at: https://www.worldcement.com/europe-cis/04072016/tunstead-remember-those-who-served-at-the-battle-of-the-somme-449/