Banbury workers remembered at annual Alcan Service of Remembrance
The service, held at the memorial garden on Southam Road, paid tribute to the 41 employees of the former Banbury Alcan site who lost their lives during the Second World War.
Former Irish Guardsman and longstanding Banbury councillor Kieron Mallon laid a wreath at the Alcan War Memorial on Friday (November 6) during the annual Service of Remembrance.
The factory played an important role in the war effort, producing aluminium used in the manufacture of aircraft that helped defend Britain.
So important was the site, known locally as “The Ally”, that a replica factory was built a few miles away while the original was camouflaged to protect it from enemy attack.
The Luftwaffe twice bombed the dummy factory, mistaking it for the real site.
Around 4,000 people worked at the factory during the war, helping to support Britain's wartime aircraft production.
The annual service remembers the workers who contributed to the war effort, particularly the 41 employees who never returned home.