A welcome familiar sight has returned to Auchentibber, High Blantyre!
Rebuilding work has progressed at speed at the Auchentibber War Memorial and once again, the memorial stands tall and proud, completely rebuilt from the base up. We visited the site today and were astonished at the progress this last week.
Council workers told us the memorial is the same in every way as it was before, in height, width and shape, but without the brick buttresses at the back, as the inside is now constructed in hidden steel and block. The pillars, salvaged from the demolition of Hamilton Palace in the early 1920’s have once again been used, as has the existing plaque.
The workers, under the direction of James Meechan of South Lanarkshire Council have been working continuously within all available daylight hours, including as you see here, at weekends too. Efforts are being driven to ensure the site is complete ahead of remembrance on 11th November.
Steps have been constructed up to the hardstanding, with a path leading from a brand new gate, protecting any people attending remembrance services from passing traffic. Beautiful new railings have been placed around the front of the site, just as they once were. The whole site is enclosed in a permanent new fence, already painted and heel kerbs will delineate from new shurbs and plants and the rest of the area which will be monoblocked.
Stunning new WW1 Remembrance seats have been ordered (similar to the new ones in Bothwell and High Blantyre Cemetery) and the council will have these placed next week.
We’re confident the Council will have things ready for 11th November and congratulate them on their hard work and dedication on this project over the last month or so. The monument looks fitting for many more generations and hopefully will now be protected against the weather and passing vehicles. Blantyre should rightly be proud of this memorial, which remembers those 14 brave local men.
It’s incredible the amount of people who have shown an interest in the work. Each time we’ve been there, members of the public have also, taking photos and discussing the work. Before we left, we bumped into Archie Arbuckle and spent some time having an interesting “natter” about Auchentibber of old.
A meeting takes place next week to discuss the possibility of holding an unveiling ceremony in due course.
