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Lafarge’s Aberthaw Works in the Vale of Glamorgan, UK has hosted a special ceremony to honour its staff who fought in the Second World War.
The event was prompted by the discovery of two plaques with a role of honour for former cement workers who lost their lives during the war.
Relatives of the former cement workers attended the rededication ceremony at the site. The plaques were rediscovered in 2007 by Rolly Hughes on a disused building and they have since been restored and the families of the former employees traced.
“It’s been a long but fascinating journey,” said Lafarge HR officer Ruth Toften. “We gleaned information from lots of sources including museum archives and the Record’s Office, but the personal details came from the accounts of friends and relatives who came forward after we appealed for help through the local media.”
Rolly Hughes explained; “Three of the men were employed here at Aberthaw Works and the remaining trio worked at the former cement plant in Rhoose, which was closed in 1987. Both plants were run by the Aberthaw and Bristol Channel Portland Cement Company and we actually found accounts of when the plaques were first created and dedicated in copies of the Company’s newsletters from the late 1940s.”
