Coventry Society founder member Paul Maddocks recalls an unusual memorial outside the Locarno Ballroom and asks what happened to it.
In the mid-1960s, a tree stood outside Coventry’s Locarno Ballroom, surrounded by a circular wooden bench. Coventry Society founder member Paul Maddocks remembers seeing an inscription carved into the wooden rim bearing the name Christopher Cash, together with the words “Captive Bolt Pistol” and other lettering.
As a teenager, Paul assumed the bench must have been connected with the Cash family, whose silk ribbon and woven name-tape business was an important part of Coventry’s manufacturing heritage. It was only much later that he discovered the significance of the inscription.
Christopher Cash and the captive-bolt stunner
Christopher Cash (1864–1925) was associated with the Coventry family business of J. & J. Cash, famous for its woven name tapes and labels. However, his interests extended well beyond manufacturing.
Cash had a strong concern for animal welfare and sought improvements in the way animals were slaughtered. According to the history published by equipment manufacturer Accles & Shelvoke, a visit to continental Europe in 1910 brought him into contact with an early slaughtering device. This inspired him to develop the idea of a captive-bolt pistol, which he preferred to call a “mechanical pole axe”.
Cash discussed his idea with J. G. Accles, an expert in firearms and engineering. Following years of experimentation, Accles & Shelvoke began manufacturing the CASH captive-bolt pistol in 1913. Designed to render livestock unconscious before slaughter, the device represented an important development in animal-welfare practice. The CASH name has since become associated with this type of stunning equipment.
A Coventry connection
Cash’s story provides another link between Coventry’s industrial heritage and the people whose ideas had an influence far beyond the city. Although he came from a family associated with woven pictures and name tapes, his concern for animal welfare led him into an entirely different field.
His name also survives in the city’s educational history. The school now known as Joseph Cash Primary School was originally called Christopher Cash School. The name was changed to Joseph Cash, reportedly because Christopher Cash’s association with the captive-bolt pistol was difficult to explain to children. The school is on Owenford Road in Radford.
Who remembers the Locarno bench?
Paul’s recollection raises several intriguing questions. Who commissioned or paid for the bench? Was it intended as a memorial to Christopher Cash and his contribution to animal welfare? And when, and why, was it removed?
Paul wonders whether the subject of animal slaughter might have made the bench seem inappropriate for a public place, although there is currently no evidence to establish that this was the reason for its disappearance.
The Coventry Society would be interested to hear from anyone who remembers the tree and bench, knows when they were removed, or can shed light on who arranged for the inscription to be carved.
If you have any memories, photographs or information that might help solve the mystery, please get in touch with the Coventry Society.
