Names added to Chorley War Memorial in time for Remembrance Sunday

By Chorley Remembers on Tuesday 5th November 2013

New names added to Chorley War Memorial November 2013

Names of two men who fell in The Great War and World War Two have been added to the panels around the War Memorial in Astley Park.

Relatives of Seth Hargreaves and Eric Wright contacted Chorley Remembers asking for the names of their loved ones to be included, and after research by Project Manager Steve Williams, Chorley Council added them to the memorial in time for Remembrance Sunday.

Sgt Seth Hargreaves [front centre]

Sgt Seth Hargreaves [front centre]

Sergeant Seth Hargreaves joined up in Chorley on the 3rd September 1914 and eventually joined the 10th Battalion of the Loyal North Lancs. Regiment.

He was killed on the Somme battlefield on the 11th August 1916, aged 33; he has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme.

The War Dairy for his Battalion records that they were in action on the 11th August 1916 attacking German trenches at Bazentin-le-Petit. The action started at 2.00 am and ended with the capture of German trenches on the Martinpuich Road, five hours later at 7.00 am; one Officer and 20 other ranks were killed (one being Sgt. Hargreaves).

Family members, still in Chorley, recall being told that Seth was quiet short and jokingly wanted to be a jockey; he was photograph with a few of his mates captioned “Jockey Club”.

Sgt Eric Wright

Sgt Eric Wright

Sergeant Eric Wright joined the RAF in October 1941 and served as an Air Gunner on Halifax bombers in 78 Squadron based out on Linton-on-Ouse in North Yorkshire, being shot down over the Netherlands on the 12th June 1943.

He is buried in Terschelling cemetery, located on one of the Wadden Islands off the Dutch coast.

Born in 1924, he was educated at Balshaw’s Grammar School in Leyland, and went to work in the family wholesale grocery business W M Wright Ltd. in Lord Street, Chorley.

Chairman of Chorley Remembers, Lindsay Hoyle MP said: “It was brought to our attention there were two names that didn’t appear on the war memorial that should be there. We are delighted we were alerted and we have now included the names.”

He added: “it is important that everyone who serves on our behalf and pays the ultimate sacrifice is recognised in this way, and we encourage people to contact us and let us know.”

Chorley people saw the names on the War Memorial for the first time on Remembrance Sunday last year.

It now commemorates 740 men from the town who gave their lives in the First and Second World Wars.

Funding for the work came from the Heritage Lottery Fund and from the Chorley Remembers Appeal Fund, set up by Trustees of the Chorley Pals Memorial in 2010.

Interpretation boards installed at Chorley’s War Memorial

By Chorley Remembers on Monday 4th November 2013

Interpretaion Boards November 2013

Two interpretation boards have been installed close to the town’s War Memorial in Astley Park.

They are the final element of the capital works part of the Chorley Remembers project, which has been funded by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The illustrated boards were designed and written by local historian & Project Manager, Steve Williams, and were positioned in the Park today (Monday) in time for Remembrance Sunday this weekend.

One of the boards details the history of the memorial and adjacent arch, whilst the other features some of the men whose names are engraved on the walls to the rear of the memorial site.

They have been placed in such a way so that they can be seen and read by everyone - from youngsters to those in wheelchairs or using mobility scooters.

The boards were paid for in part by a donation from the Chorley Building Society.

New paths completed at Chorley War Memorial

By Chorley Remembers on Thursday 31st October 2013

Chorley War Memorial new paths October 2013

Work by Chorley Council to further enhance the civic war memorial site at the entrance to Astley Park has been completed.

The project to create two new paths around and to the back of the war memorial began at the start of September and was carried out by Landscape Engineering Ltd. who did work on the Chorley Pals Memorial and the War Memorial walls and site in 2012.

Two new interpretation boards, supplied as part of the Chorley Remembers project, should be installed next week in time for Remembrance Sunday.

The two boards will feature the history of the War Memorial from 1919 and some of the men whose names are engraved on the panels.

Remembrance Sunday Video Report

By Chorley Remembers on Monday 12th November 2012

Chorley War Memorial finished in time for Remembrance Sunday

By Chorley Remembers on Friday 9th November 2012

Chorley’s new civic War Memorial was completed this morning at 10.30am today (Friday), in time for Remembrance Sunday.

We will let the pictures do the talking:

Chorley soldier's relative's poignant visit to new memorial

By Chorley Remembers on Thursday 8th November 2012

After the fences came down today, people started visiting the site to look at the names on the panels.

Anne-Marie Clitherow in front of the new panel where her relative Hugh Durkin is remembered

Anne-Marie Clitherow in front of the new panel where her relative Hugh Durkin is remembered

One of the visitors was Anne-Marie Clitherow who looked at the name of her relative - Hugh Durkin who was on one of the three World War Two panels.

Sgt. Durkin from Standish Street in Chorley served with the 1st Battalion of the Highland Light Infantry (City of Glasgow Regiment) and was killed in action in northern Germany on the 17th April 1945.

He is buried in Becklingen War Cemetery overlooking Luneburg Heath where, on the 4th May 1945, Field Marshal Montgomery accepted the German surrender.

Chorley War Memorial site update - 4th November 2012

By Chorley Remembers on Sunday 4th November 2012

Everything should be ready for Remembrance Sunday despite a delay in receiving newly engraved panels; they should be on site on Tuesday.

In the meantime, the specialist stonemasons will start cleaning all the stonework - the new panels, the existing memorial cross and base, as well as the relocated conflict stones.

All the block paving is down and most of the landscaping works at the back of the memorial panels should be completed by Wednesday morning, allowing Chorley Council workers to clean up the site and for the contractors to remove their facilities; the fences should be down by Wednesday evening.

There is a project meeting on the site on Monday morning (5th November) after which Chorley Remembers Project Manager Steve Williams and Chorley Council Officer Jamie Dixon will report back to their respective organisations.

A final update will be given on Wednesday.

Praise for Chorley memorial from local British Legion members

By Chorley Remembers on Saturday 27th October 2012

After launching their annual Poppy Appeal on Saturday morning, members of the Chorley branch of the Royal British Legion were caught casting their eyes over the work on the War Memorial site in Astley Park.

Lindsay Hoyle MP with Claire Wade and Jane Anderson look at the relocated conflict stones.

Lindsay Hoyle MP with Claire Wade and Jane Anderson look at the relocated conflict stones.

Chorley Remembers Secretary Steve Williams was there making his almost daily visit to the site and took local British Legion Chairman, Glynn Gaskell and several of his fellow branch members on a tour around.

Just as Steve was leaving, local branch Secretary, Jane Anderson and Poppy Appeal Co-ordinator, Claire Wade arrived, followed not so long after by Chorley Remembers Chairman, Lindsay Hoyle MP.

Commenting on the visits and the feedback, Lindsay Hoyle said: “We are delighted that members of the local British Legion are pleased with the work on the memorial and the site overall.

They, like us, look forward to Remembrance Sunday and to seeing the reaction not only of local people but of the relatives of those commemorated on the memorial.

It will be a proud day for everyone, and for the town of Chorley.”

Last word on the day went to Steve Williams who said: “It is a privilege to be involved in delivering such a project. I really don’t want it to end but must ensure the work is completed well in time for Remembrance Sunday”

With just four of the names panels left to be erected, Project Manager Steve Williams is confident that all work will be completed on schedule by Monday, 5th November.

Chorley War Memorial site update - 26th October 2012

By Chorley Remembers on Friday 26th October 2012

Chorley Remembers Secretary, Steve Williams and Chorley Council Officer, Jamie Dixon, met contractors on-site this morning to review progress.

Nine panels with the names of the fallen were already up and a phone call from the stonemasons, MJR Masonry Services, at the end of the day confirmed that they had erected a further four; that just leaves three more to do, before they start on the coping stones.

Workers from main contractors, Landscape Engineering Ltd., have finished the random stone wall either side of the new memorial, starting on rendering the back of it; they also made a start on the block paving around the site.

The project is scheduled to be completed by Monday, 5th November and Project Manager Steve Williams is confident that everything is well on track.

Chorley War Memorial site update - 24th October 2012

By Chorley Remembers on Wednesday 24th October 2012

The first panel with 60 names out of the 736 from the town to go on the new memorial was carefully put in place today, a day ahead of schedule.

Two more panels were also in place when the specialist stonemasons, MJR Masonry Services, left the site this evening (they are scheduled to erect two per day).

The main contractor, Landscape Engineering Ltd., are making excellent progress and have nearly finished the two random stone walls either side of the memorial itself.

They should start work on the block paving sometime tomorrow and have work to do at the back of the main wall, as well as some further landscaping.

Project Manager, Steve Williams, is confident that everything will be completed by the 5th November.

The site will then be handed back to Chorley Council for them to clean the War Memorial cross (paid for by Chorley Remembers and Heritage Lottery funding), as well as preparing the site ready for Remembrance Sunday on the 11th.