Maureen Shaw panel unveiled

OVER 100 people turned up at Wardle Lock, in Middlewich, on the 23rd March to join in the unveiling of a commemorative panel about the life of Maureen Shaw and the working boat community.

Maureen had, of course, lived in the Lock Cottage at Wardle on the Middlewich Branch of the Shropshire Union Canal, with the result that it was often referred to as 'Maureen's Lock' and she was well known to both visiting boaters and the local community.

Fiona Bruce

Fiona Bruce, MP, (current holder of the IWA's Parliamentarian of the year for her support for the inland waterways) kindly opened the speeches, reminding people about the historical background and including the courageous role played by working boaters during the Second World War.  The photograph shows Fiona and Sharron with the commemorative panel.

This was then followed by Gillian Watson's personal memories of Maureen during her latter years. Maureen's daughter, Sharron Underwood, had flown in from Thailand for the occasion and with some emotion, pulled the yellow ribbon away from the cover to reveal the commemorative panel in all its glory.

Strong feeling

When Maureen Shaw died in 2012 there was a strong feeling amongst the boating community and others that her life, and that of the working boat community, should be commemorated in some way. An appeal was launched at the Middlewich Folk & Boat Festival in the June, and by Autumn a good proportion of the £1,800 needed had been donated—mostly by individuals but also by boat clubs and societies from all over the country.

Peter Bolt headed up the project, assisted by Gillian Watson—both of the Inland Waterways Association and the Trent & Mersey Canal Society and the 23rd March 2013 saw the culmination of nine months of effort, design work and construction.

Working boats

The panel was made by Photocast, Liverpool and included two images of working boats, by Sheila Webster, the well known waterways artist from Audlem. The frame was made by Heap & Partners of Birkenhead who donated their costs. The whole unit was installed by Canal & River Trust's Small Tasks Team Volunteers, prior to the unveiling.

The aim was to ensure that boaters and other visitors to the lock would be reminded of the role that the working boats and families had played over many years and particularly Maureen's story. She had been well known throughout the boating community and had given many talks about her early life on the boats—all from memory as, like many who worked on the boats at the time, she had never learned to read and write. Hers was an extraordinary life—which is now recorded for future generations.

Peter Bolt would like to thank all those who supported the project, both financially and practically and who came along for the unveiling—despite the bitter weather. Without their help, it would not have happened.