Veteran's descendant fights to save Boer War plaque

Kevin Raftery had concerns that the historic plaque would decay with the building

A commemorative plaque to Staffordshire soldiers who fought in the Boer Wars has been saved from Hanley Town Hall.

The great-grandson of one of the honoured soldiers had requested the plaque be removed after the venue’s closure in October 2020.

Martin Regan from Hanley contracted tuberculosis whilst serving in South Africa and died at 29 years old in 1902.

His great-grandson Kevin Raftery had concerns that “the building is decaying along with the Boer Memorial plaque.”

The Second Boer War began in 1899 in the south of Africa and was fought between the two Boer Republics and the British Empire, which held lands in the area

He added: “People need to see these things. Local people need to be enamoured.

“They need to see that this man’s important, this man gave his life, then they’ll think ‘my life’s important too.’”

Mr Raftery was previously told that the plaque was “part of the fabric of the building.”

However, Stoke-on-Trent City Council leader Jane Ashworth said: “We can confirm that the Boer War memorial has been removed from Hanley Town Hall and relocated to a secure storage unit.

“It has been acquired by The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery as part of their permanent collection.”

The plaque commemorates the men from Staffordshire who fought during the Boer Wars

Museum curator, Joseph Perry, said: “The plaque will become part of the social history collection at the museum which is used for displays, exhibitions and research.

“We’ve got some exciting projects going on after securing £5m from the Cultural Development Fund.”

The Town Hall shut in October 2020

“This is great news for the collections – but it’s too early to begin to say how this transforms the longer-term plans for the collection in terms of what will and won’t be on display.”

The new developments have left the veteran’s descendant hopeful yet guarded about the future of the plaque.

“It would be a great result if the plaque was displayed in the Potteries Museum and not held in storage indefinitely,” he said.

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