Now all roads lead to France and heavy is the tread
Of the living; but the dead returning lightly dance.
Edward Thomas, Roads

Monday, February 17, 2014

A Remarkable War Memorial in Shropshire

The Jackfield and Coalport Memorial Bridge


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The footbridge opened in 1922 as a memorial to the 26 servicemen from Jackfield and Coalport who lost their lives in the Great War. Local men lost in the Second World War were later included. Paid for by public subscription, it replaced the old fare-collecting ferryboat that linked the two communities. The new free footbridge made it much easier and safer for workers and families to commute from one side of the river to the other.

The bridge was dismantled, repaired, and put back in place in 2000. Shown across the bridge, on the Jackfield side, is the Boat Inn, which was first licensed in 1840. It floods regularly, and the high point reached by the flood waters is recorded by the entrance.


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Dedication and Memorial Plaques on the Bridge

Sources:  Britain at War, South Telford Memorial Trail Website

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