Mystery surrounds Market Drayton pilot memorial

It was created in a Shropshire town to honour the bravery of an RAF pilot, but now it lies apparently forgotten and overgrown.

Now a call has gone out for more information about the mystery memorial in Market Drayton on the eve of Remembrance Sunday when the nation will honour its war dead.

It was discovered recently in the Towers Lawn area and has written on it the name of Flight Lieutenant J H Howes, who was born in 1904 and died in 1995.

It also contains the words "Canadian Crew" and it is thought that the man must been a member of the RAF and had some connection with the Shropshire town.

Clive Blakeway, of the Shropshire War Memorials Association, has issued a plea to the public to help him solve the mystery of the memorial and has called on landowners to preserve it to prevent it being forgotten forever.

He said: "Someone phoned me up a couple of weeks ago and said they had discovered a war memorial which was hidden away on the side of the road near Lazy Days in Market Drayton.

"It is not very visible to the public and I can imagine in the summer it would become covered by shrubs and bushes.

"It was the first I had heard of the memorial and having done some research I haven't been able to find out anymore about it.

"The person must have had some connection to Market Drayton so I would like people to help tell me who the person was and what their connection with the town was.

"Now that it has been discovered I hope the landowners will do their best to preserve it and make it known to the public otherwise it will be forgotten forever, which would be a real shame."

The main war memorial in Market Drayton is a polished stone cross with the names of those who died in World War One around its base and those from World War Two on marble plaques behind.

It stands at the junction of two busy streets in the Towers Lawn area.

If anyone has any information about the mystery war memorial call Clive Blakeway on (01952) 550205.