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 Members
of the Leek Branch of the Royal British Legion, local clergy
and Council officials attended the dedication of a Time
Capsule inside the Nicholson War Memorial, Leek, on Monday
25th September, 2006. The capsule was the brainchild of Alan
Brundrett, the volunteer 'keeper' of the war memorial and
Chris Sheldon, a member of the Leek Branch and author of two
books telling the story of the servicemen and women from
Leek who are listed on the memorial. The idea was born
following last year's 80th Anniversary Rededication Service
of the Nicholson War Memorial when thousands of people
witnessed the dedication of three new bronze plaques listing
the names of fifteen men and women whose names had been
inadvertently omitted from the Second World War plaques.
The Capsule was sealed by
the Mayor of Leek, Councillor Steve Povey and the Chairman
of the Leek Royal British Legion, Geoffrey Robinson, BEM
(above).
 The
Time Capsule is made of a transparent acrylic material and
is airtight. Unlike most Time Capsules, it has not been
buried but has been locked inside a cabinet within the
structure of the war memorial. The books, documents and
other memorabilia sealed in the capsule give the history of
the ‘Monument’, as it is called locally, from its unveiling
in 1925 to the present day. There are sets of medals awarded
to
 Leek
servicemen in both wars, books and documents listing all
known details of the 535 names listed on the war memorial
and photographs of the fallen. Other items include
photographs and a video record of the Rededication Service
in 2005 and even original film footage of the original
unveiling service 80 years earlier. The Time Capsule and its
contents should ensure that the fascinating history of the
Nicholson War Memorial, believed to be the largest in the
country and the only one with four clock faces, will never
be lost.
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