Chorley & District:

WAR
MEMORIALS

By Stuart A. Clewlow, FRHistS

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 CONTENTS

1. Introduction ……………………………………………….….……4
2. Military Memorials……………………………………..………….5
3. War Memorials in the Borough of Chorley:
a. Abbey Village………………………………………………..7
b. Adlington & District…………………………………………8
c. Adlington, St. Paul’s Church………………………………...9
d. Anderton, St. Joseph’s Church………………………….….10
e. Anglezarke, Wellington Bomber Memorial………………..11
f. Astley Park, Chorley: i. Cenotaph………………………….12
ii. Garden of Reflection…………..….13
iii. Memorial Arch…………………....14
g. Bretherton…………………………………………………..15
h. Brindle, St. James’s Church…….……………………….….16
i. Brinscall…………………………………………………….17
j. Charnock Richard, Christ Church…………...……………..18
k. Chorley Churches:
i. All Saints Church……………………………….19
ii. Hollinshead Street Methodist ……………….…20
iii. Lyons Lane Methodist Church………………....21
iv. St. George’s Church………………………...….22
v. St. Gregory’s Church…………………………...23
vi. St. James’s Church…………………………..…24
vii. St. Joseph’s Church…………………………….25

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 viii. St. Laurence’s Church………………………….26
ix. St. Mary’s Church…………………………..….27
x. St. Peter’s Church………………………………28
xi. Trinity Methodist Church………………………29
l. Chorley: i. Grammar School (Parklands High)…..……...…30
ii. Chorley Freemasons Memorial………………..31
iii. Chorley Pals Memorial Statue………………....32
iv. Chorley, St. Peter’s Primary School………...…33
m. Clayton Green, St. Bede’s Church…….……………………34
n. Coppull: i. Garden of Remembrance….……………………35
ii. Parish Church…………….…………………….36
iii. St. John’s Church…….……………………...…37
o. Croston ……..….……….….………….…………….……...38
p. Eccleston……………..…….……………………..…..…….39
q. Euxton ……..…….........................................................……40
r. Heapey & Wheelton…..…………………………................41
s. Heapey, St. Barnabus Church………….………………..…42
t. Heath Charnock …….…………………………......……….43
u. Hoghton…………………………………………..………...44
v. Mawdesley…………………………………………..……...45
w. Rivington Parish Church……………………………..…..…46
x. Whittle-le-Woods & Clayton-le-Woods……………..……..47
y. Withnell Fold Paper Mill……………………………..…….48
z. Miscellaneous Plaques….…………..……………………....49
4. Conclusion …………………………………………….…………50

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 INTRODUCTION

This booklet is a compilation of some of the larger village

and town war memorials that exist around Chorley Borough.
It is by no means an exhaustive display of our local war
memorials but it is intended to offer a sense of the wide
range of styles and designs that have been created to
honour our service personnel.

Throughout Chorley and District there is a miscellany of

interesting memorials, ie/ Church furniture, stained glass
windows, memorial buildings, statues, etc, and many have
become landmarks around the Borough. This booklet
highlights a number of the main public memorials, rather
than the internal or private ones that exist inside Churches.

New memorials and additions to existing ones continue to be

erected. Sadly, some additions are in relation to current
casualties of conflict. However, some additions are to
rectify unintentional omissions. Such oversights have only
become apparent in recent years through the availability of
newly released records and opened archives.

Full details of all the

Borough war memorials
can be found in my book
“In Memoriam” at
Chorley Library.

I can be contacted for

details about all of the
memorials in the township
of Chorley:
saclewlow@yahoo.com

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 MILITARY MEMORIALS

Public memorials have been around for years. The Romans

for example, built enormous stone pillars adorned with
carvings depicting glorious victories and they also
constructed magnificent monuments to their leaders and
heroes. Over the course of time, many monuments
worldwide have been constructed to glorify a victory, to
stand imposing over a conquered foe, and in more recent
times, to commemorate those who didn’t survive.

From Privates to Brigadiers, and commemorating actions

from the Crimean war (1854-6) to the recent conflict in
Afghanistan, there is a wide range of military memorials.

There are not many villages, and probably not one town in
the United Kingdom, without some form of World War
memorial. Due to the huge number killed, particularly during
WW1, the dead couldn’t be repatriated and so they were
buried close to where they fell. As a result, people back
home felt that they needed a place to grieve, pay homage,
have a place of reflection etc. Therefore, community war
memorials became in essence, a ‘communal headstone’. Some
are grander or more imposing than others, some are very
modest, but all share the same purpose and all stand proudly
in place.

Although not official memorials in the true sense of the

word, many of us may have an old medal, paperwork, military
badges, etc, in a family drawer or keepsake box. These all
act as a memorial to the service of a person in some small
way, and are just as important as the large public memorials.
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From medals to death plaques; these
may not seem like memorials, but all
these items bare testimony to
somebody who either served
their country or who made
the ultimate sacrifice.

Such was the loss during

WW1, the British
Government issued memorial
scrolls to the next of kin.
Left: Memorial scroll sent to
Sarah Naylor of Coppull
after the loss of her son,
Chorley ‘Terrier’,
Austen Naylor.

The scrolls accompanied the

memorial plaques (the ‘Death
Penny’), as seen in the above
image (centre). It would be
common place after the war,
for these private memorials
to be hung in and around the
home as a poignant reminder
of the service and sacrifice
of a loved one.

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Abbey Village

7
Adlington & District

8
Adlington, St. Paul’s Church

9
 Anderton,
St. Joseph’s Church

10
 Anglezarke,
Wellington Bomber Memorial

11
Astley Park, Chorley: Cenotaph

12
Astley Park, Chorley:
Garden of Reflection

13
Astley Park, Chorley:
Memorial Arch

14
Bretherton

15
Brindle, St. James’s Church

16
Brinscall

17
Charnock Richard, Christ Church

18
Chorley, All Saints Church

19
Chorley, Hollinshead Street
United Reformed Church

20
 Chorley, Lyons Lane
Independent Methodist Church

21
Chorley, St. George’s Church

22
Chorley, St. Gregory’s Church

23
Chorley, St. James’s Church

24
 Chorley,
St. Joseph’s Parish Centre

25
Chorley, St. Laurence’s Church

26
Chorley, St. Mary’s Church

27
Chorley, St. Peter’s Church

28
 Chorley,
Trinity Methodist Church

29
Chorley Grammar School
(Parklands High School)

30
Chorley Freemasons Memorial,
(Ellesmere Lodge) Cunliffe Hall

31
Chorley Pals Memorial Statue

32
 Chorley,
St Peter’s Primary School

33
Clayton Green, St. Bede’s Church

34
Coppull, Garden of Remembrance

35
Coppull Parish Church

36
Coppull, St. John’s Church

37
Croston

38
Eccleston

39
Euxton War Memorial

40
Heapey & Wheelton

41
Heapey, St. Barnabus Church

42
Heath Charnock Gateway Stone

43
Hoghton

44
Mawdesley

45
Rivington Parish Church

46
Whittle-le-Woods &
Clayton-le-Woods

47
Withnell Fold Paper Mill

48
 Miscellaneous Plaques

Union Street, Chorley: Chorley Pals Memorial Plaque

Army Reserve Centre, Devonshire Road, Chorley:

Chorley Pals & Chorley Terriers Memorial Plaques
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 Miscellaneous Plaques

Sheffield Memorial Park, Hébuterne, France:

Accrington Pals Memorial, inc. Chorley Pals Plaque

St. George’s Memorial Church, Ypres, Belgium:

Chorley and District Memorial Plaque

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 CONCLUSION

Around the Borough new memorials or additions to existing

ones, continue to be erected. Sadly, some additions are in
relation to current conflicts, but some are to fill a void.
Research identified over two dozen omissions from the
original roll of honour for the Adlington & District War
Memorial. As a result, two new plaques were added in 2009.
(see below)

Omissions from a war memorial could be due to a casualty

being a sole family member of the community, or that their
next of kin, who would have named them for inclusion, died
before the war memorial project began. Another reason
could be that after the war (WW1 or 2) their family moved
away from the area and so, again, there was no one around
to put their name forward. Some may even have chosen not
to propose a loved one as it was such an emotive subject, at
too sensitive a time and too soon after the event.

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Finally, I found that it is wrong to stereotypically refer to
our war memorials as listing the ‘men of…’ a certain area. A
surprising number of memorials included the names of
women. Granted not all of them were killed in action but this
leads to another point; not all War Memorials are to honour
casualties. Again, a surprising number were commemorating
those that served as well as those who did not return.

Sadly, research has shown that some memorials have been

‘lost’ over time. This has occurred as either Churches have
closed, accidents to buildings housing them has destroyed
them, and so on. However, it is pleasing to know that the
vast majority of casualties who may have been listed on
‘lost’ private memorials, are still honoured on the larger
public war memorials.

The Borough of Chorley has a very good record in terms of

safeguarding and maintaining its war memorials and I see no
reason why this would change any time soon.

“In Memory of All Service People,

Past, Present and Future,
From, or Laid to Rest in,
Chorley and District,
We Will Remember Them.”

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 Presented by Local Historian and Author
Stuart A. Clewlow, FRHistS

Some of my first public displays of local history and military artefacts was back
in 1995 to commemorate the 50th Anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day. Since
then I have been researching and collecting information and artefacts of local
importance and sharing it across our Borough, whether that is in schools,
community centres, public events and temporary exhibitions, such as the popular
Chorley Remembers exhibition at Astley Hall Coach House.
My work has been rewarded with Civic Society Awards, Parish Council Awards
and even an invitation to the Queen’s Garden Party at Buckingham Palace. All
that is extremely humbling but I like to see it as being a measure of just how
interested and passionate we all are in our heritage.
A number of events and displays were planned to acknowledge the 75 th
anniversaries of VE Day and VJ Day in 2020 but these were affected due to the
Coronavirus issues. Hopefully this brief publication will help raise awareness of
our local involvement during the war and go a small way towards acknowledging
the anniversaries.
Feel free to contact me if you can add any information to anything mentioned or
if you would like to ask any specific questions about the subject.
My local history books include:
The Bolton to Blackpool Dance Trains
The Chorley & District Spitfire
HMS ‘Ursula’ – The Chorley & District Submarine
In Memoriam – Military Memorials and Graves (Borough of Chorley)
Euxton CE Primary School- Golden Jubilee
Euxton – Then & Now
Euxton Remembers
“Pals on Parade” (WW1 Brass music CD with Leyland Band)
ROF Chorley: 80th Anniversary
Please join, enjoy and share my Facebook groups:
Euxton Then & Now ROF Chorley (Buckshaw Village)
Chorley & District in World War Two

saclewlow@yahoo.com 07866 925602 @StuartAClewlow

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