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And it has taken pride of place in its new home at Wednesfield and Woodend Royal British Legion Club after being unveiled last night (Wednesday 3 July, 2013).
Community groups and Wolverhampton City Council condemned the appearance of the memorial on the auction site back in March this year. Happily, the sale was cancelled and the memorial found its way to its new home of the RBL club on Vicarage Road, Wednesfield, where it has been restored by Parkfield Plating and Ultra Metal Finishers and re-mounted by Malcolm Clarke.
Club secretary Ian Moore said: "We are delighted to be the new home of the memorial and we will give it the pride of place it deserves.
"It's a very important part of our city's heritage and we're very pleased to have played a part in saving it for future generations."
The restoration and unveiling of the memorial has been welcomed by Councillor Ian Claymore, member for Oxley whose own father was gassed in the First World War.
He said: "A lot of older residents in the city are the children of those who served in the Great War and will understand the poignancy of this memorial. Now it has found a new home, it can serve to help future generations appreciate the sacrifice given by so many of the city's young men."
Mystery surrounds the origins of the memorial. It was thought to be from the city's Cable Street Mills factory, the site of which closed in 1996. However, some initial research by staff from Wolverhampton Archives and Local Studies found that it is different in appearance.
Archivist Alf Russell said: "A newspaper cutting on the closure of the site shows a picture of Royal British Legion member Bob Tritton holding the Cable Street Mills memorial which is quite different.
"The question now is what happened to the Cable Street memorial? And what is the origin of the now restored memorial? This is definitely a case for Poirot! Alternatively, if anyone knows anything about this memorial, we would be keen to find out."
Wolverhampton Mayor Councillor Milkinder Jaspal who will unveil the memorial said: "It is particularly fitting that just a year ahead of marking the 100th anniversary of the First World War the city should be reunited with such a priceless part of its heritage."
- released: Thursday 4 July, 2013