Harold Gaskin’s name appears on a memorial plaque which was originally located at Midland Railway’s Saltley Depot but, since 2024, is at Birmingham New Street Station. The memorial commemorates the 76 Midland Railway Locomotive department staff who served in the war. Harold was one of seven who lost his life in the conflict.
Saltley Depot was originally Midland Railway, then LMS, then British Rail and is now DB Cargo. Saltley Depot was the largest locomotive shed in the Birmingham district but is now a very small site. The memorial has been moved several times with all the demolition that has happened over the years. When the DB Cargo building housing it most recntly was taken down a few years ago the walls in the current building (a two-storey mobile prefab) were not strong enough to hold it. So that's when the effort began to get it put up in New Street Station.
Network Rail paid for the restoration of the memorial, after which it was relocated to the main concourse at Birmingham New Street Station (next to Ozzy the Mechanical Bull). The plaque was rededicated during a ceremony on 11th November 2024, following Birmingham New Street’s annual Remembrance service. The service was led by Andrew Hall, a chaplain from the Railway Mission charity.
Ed Mayne, to whom we are grateful for alerting us to the fact that Harold Gaskin's name is on the memorial, mentioned Sapper Gaskin in his speech about the seven deceased listed on the memorial.