A NEWLY restored roll of honour has been unveiled at Trowbridge Town Hall this week which honours the men who fought in the Boer War.

As the centrepiece for the Heritage Open Weekend, the Friends of Trowbridge Town Hall embarked on the year-long project in hope of bringing a forgotten piece of the town’s history back to life.

Robert Colebourne, 68, who has been a volunteer at the town hall for three years, spearheaded the restoration and said he was glad to see it through.

He added: “It all started when I had been a volunteer with the Friends of Trowbridge Town Hall for a while and I looked at the memorial and thought that it looked a bit dirty, let’s see if we can do something about it.

“The plaque is a good talking point especially on our tours because it is right inside the front door. I only embarked on the project for Trowbridge and its people and although it was hard work getting all the grants, it was really enjoyable seeing it through.

“It is important that the town get to know about it because it is an important piece of history and the town hall is a beautiful place.”

The roll of honour has hung on the lobby wall since 1903 and quietly deteriorated as a result of age and water ingress.

The Boer War (1899-1902) was the first conflict to involve civilian volunteers, and the memorial records the ‘patriotic spirit’ of 32 sons of Trowbridge, most of them serving in the Imperial Yeomanry and the Volunteer Rifle Corps.

Sculpture and architectural conservationists Humphries and Jones, based in Cricklade, carried out the work which took four days to complete. The Friends managed to pay for the work, which cost nearly £1,500, through grants from the War Memorials Trust and Trowbridge Town Council, together with donations from Trowbridge Civic Society and Melksham Historical Society.

The plaque was unveiled by mayor Linda Self.