New plaques honour Sheffield soldiers after social club's war memorial destroyed in fire
“Their sacrifice is a reminder of why we must never take those freedoms for granted”
Councillors in a Sheffield ward have been hard at work to create new plaques to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country after a memorial dedicated to their service was destroyed in a fire.
In December 2024, Manor Social Club was ravaged by a fire.
The well-know working men’s club on City Road had closed 11-months prior, with the blaze leaving the premises - which housed a touching memorial to local people who had served in both world wars - structurally unsafe.
In January 2026, Sheffield City Council demolished the club, with the memorial lost to time.
In an effort to pay respect, local councillors in the Park and Arbourthorne ward are now embarking on projects to restore this lost memorial.
Labour’s Ben Miskell and Mia Drazaic are set to unveil the first of these on Monday, December 7 as they install a plaque at Arbourthorne social centre which reads: “Commemorating those from the Arbourthorne area who gave their lives in the First World War and the Second World War.”
Coun Miskell said: “The plaque is a tribute to the sacrifices made by those who came before us, who gave their lives defending our democracy, our freedoms and our way of life.
“During the Second World War, people from our community stood up against the hatred and division of fascism. Their sacrifice is a reminder of why we must never take those freedoms for granted.
“As local councillors, we’re focused on bringing people together and standing against those who seek to divide us. Remembering the past is part of making sure we can say ‘never again’ and mean it.
“We’re grateful to the Arbourthorne Tenants and Residents Association for working with us to find a permanent home for the plaque, where future generations can remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”
The councillors are inviting residents, particularly those with connections to the former Manor Social Club and the people commemorated on its original memorial, to attend the unveiling and join the community in paying their respects.
“The Manor Social Club was a real community hub in its day, bringing local people together and creating memories for generations of families,” Coun Drazaic added.
“It feels only right that the replacement memorial should find a new home at Arbourthorne Social Centre, home to the local Tenants and Residents Association, which continues that tradition of bringing our community together.
“It was important to us that the memorial wasn’t simply forgotten. I’m really pleased that we’ve been able to work with Janet Ridler and the TARA to make sure those local people are remembered.
“The Arbourthorne Social Centre is at the heart of our community, bringing people together through activities and events throughout the year. It’s a fitting place for the plaque to have a permanent home, where people can continue to pay their respects for generations to come.”
Meanwhile, Reform UK’s Matt Smith - who was elected in May this year - has shared his hopes of creating a replica of the marble memorial that had previously sat in the social club.
He has been calling on residents to share images of the original memorial and says thanks to these responses he has managed to find out the names of the 402 people commemorated.
He is also exploring the possibility of recreating a memorial that was placed in the now demolished Park and Arbourthorne Labour Club, however acknowledges that this is a harder task due to a lack of pictures and information.
“I’ve mentioned on the side if you like that my plan is to restore them and remake the Manor Club one because the details are there,” he added.
“When door knocking even before the May elections I mentioned it and people were like ‘oh yeah that would be great - it would be a really nice thing to do.’
“Because it’s not just about recognising that some people lost their lives, it’s about specifically naming them.”
The councillor says that it’s important to immortalise these brave individuals’ names, “especially when people still live in the same area who might have the same surname”.
“It’s nice for them to have somewhere to go and lay flowers on Remembrance Day,” he added.
He is currently in the process of getting mock-ups of the memorial and says he hopes to see the replica created by November 2027.
Coun Smith has recently embarked on a project to get shadow ‘Tommy’ soldier statues placed throughout the ward ahead of Remembrance Sunday this year.
“It's such a patriotic part of the city,” Coun Smith said.
“Everyone really cares about this sort of thing, as per the responses to all the poppies and the Tommies - people have absolutely loved it.”