Manchester's 'forgotten heroes' will finally be remembered
manchestereveningnews.co.ukOn the 125th anniversary of the first train from London to Manchester, a group of campaigners, friends and admirers came together to honour the man who made it happen along with his father, ‘Manchester’s forgotten men’ Absalom and Sir Edward Watkin.
The two men will forever be memorialised with their own blue plaque at Manchester Central, provided by the Watkin Society after six years of campaigning all over the country, including in Grimsby and Cleethorpes, towns founded by Edward Watkin.
Geoff Scargill, a retired head teacher and founder of the Watkin Society, discovered his admiration for Watkin when he came across a book his wife owned about Edward.
From there, he spent years spreading the work the Watkin family had done and his ‘very long battle’ included writing his own book, Victoria’s Railway King.
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