One Cut Mark and some other sightseeing in Walsall

Trigpointing is always an Easter Egg Hunt with the real treasures scattered around as you follow the Bunny Trail to your quarry.

I caught up to my first and only Cut Mark of the day trip to Walsall etched into the corner of the fantastic Town Hall (above and below, here).

As I turned to head the wrong way to the kebab shop I planned to lunch at (and which was closed albeit listed as open), I spied the monument to the gunnery seaman JH Carless, VC. I love to read Medal of Honor and Victoria Cross stories, despite the blindly patriotic narratives most of them entail, and Carless’ was cast in bronze for all to see:

John Henry Carless, V.C.
Born at Walsall 11th November 1896, killed in action Heligoland Bight 17th November 1917. Awarded the Victoria Cross for most conspicuous bravery and devotion to duty. Although mortally wounded in the abdomen, he still went on serving the gun at which he was acting as rammer, lifting a projectile and helping to clear away the other casualties. He collapsed once, but got up, tried again and cheered on the new gun’s crew. He then fell and died. He not only set a very inspiring and memorable example but he also, whilst mortauly [sic] wounded, continued to do effective work against the King’s enemies.

Correcting my path, I ignored the ironic dereliction of duty of my targeted kebabery and continued through town to a second choice. Along the way, I encountered the former Taylor’s Music Shop, 29 Bridge Street, the decorative details of which were really worth a closer look.

Filled with my donner sandwich, at last, I looped back to the north side of the town centre and passed, on my way to the Oak Inn, this former Salvation Army site (lead photo is a detail of the building) which is now an occupational safety training site.

Finally back to catch my bus home with no other targeted Ordnance Survey marks to report, I spotted this ACTUAL ordnance mark from the First World War on a building just across from my bus stop. Really fantastic that they preserved some of the damage. As one who is proud of the scars he has accumulated over the decades, this made me feel even more kinship with these locals.