TWO memorial boards, commemorating those who lost their lives during both World Wars, have been given a new home in York.

The memorials, originally placed in the Rowntree’s factory after the Second World War, have now been moved to the Joseph Rowntree Theatre across the road.

They remember the 412 Rowntree’s employees who lost their lives over the course of the World Wars.

In 2010, a stone memorial was unveiled at the Nestlé factory in Haxby Road so that members of the public could pay their respects to the fallen whenever they wished.

This stone memorial replaced the original carved wooden ones which were there previously.

Paul Steadman, group human resources director for Nestlé UK, said: “Hundreds of Rowntree’s employees lost their lives or sustained disabling injuries during the World Wars. The stone memorial at our Haxby Road site is dedicated to their memory and their sacrifice.

“The original memorials have since been preserved in our onsite archive facility, but we wanted them to be available to a wider audience.

“We are delighted that the Joseph Rowntree Theatre have become their new custodians, enabling all the community to see and remember the very significant role that Rowntree’s employees played during the conflicts.”

It wasn’t just in active service that Rowntree’s workers made a substantial contribution to the war effort.

The York factory site manufactured munitions throughout the wars, while the cake department produced chocolate bars with added vitamins for soldiers’ ration packs.

The factory also packed nine million tins of dried egg and seven and a half million tins of milk powder to support those in battle and for rationing during the course of the Second World War.

During the Wars, employees of the then Rowntree’s factory took a keen interest in raising money for the wounded soldiers arriving in York.

Departments also made parcels of cigarettes and comforts, as well as letters, which could then be sent to the battlefield or given to wounded soldiers at the Military Hospital in the city.

A rededication ceremony was held to unveil the stone memorial in the Nestlé factory in 2010. This was attended by about two dozen people, including members of the Royal British Legion, Nestlé staff, and veterans.

The original wooden memorials were located in the former dining block, which is now the private Nuffield Hospital.

A memorial in Rowntree Park is also dedicated to the employees who lost their lives.

The former Rowntree’s factory was acquired by Nestlé in 1988.

Today there are nearly 2,000 people working at Nestlé’s York site, which is the largest private employer in the city.