FOLLOWING last year’s appeal for information about the soldiers listed on the Greytree Shrine, relatives are being invited to attend the rededication of the First World War memorial.

Over the past year members of Men’s Shed in Ross-on-Wye have worked on the shrine following its retrieval from where it had been stored.

Over the years, the original roof of the Greytree Shrine, had become rotten and warped and the names of the fallen were starting to show significant signs of flaking and deterioration.

Despite the overall condition being very poor, shed members Mark Gunn took and Malcolm Shergold took on the restoration project with at the Men’s Shed base at Great Western Court.

The shrine which acknowledges the names of the 32 military men who served and returned and four men that died while on active service, underwent full restoration with replacement oak timber being sourced, and equipment set up to recreating the original text on the new timbers.Meanwhile the remaining timbers has its many layers of varnish removed and taken back to the original surface.

The damaged areas were sensitively repaired, the dates on the shrine were repainted, the roof was replaced, the name boards reattached, and then sanded smooth ready for five separate coats of satin varnish to ensure the shrine would last for many years to come.

The shrine has now placed in a new position at the end of 1st Avenue Greytree in time for next weekend’s period of Remembrance across the nation.

On Saturday, November 9 at 11am, the shrine will be re-dedicated in situ by Canon Freda Davies in the presence of local residents who organised the retrieval of the First World War memorial, local and other relatives of those mentioned, members of the Royal British Legion who have helped with publicity and other interested parties.

The Men’s Shed carried out all the work on the shrine for free but obviously charged for any materials required.

Some benefactors have already contributed towards these costs but if you wish to donate – no matter how small or large the amount –there will be a collection bucket available on the day.