Plaque unveiled as the 'final' Chorley Pals memorial event takes place at town railway station

Politicians, veterans and residents gathered over the weekend for what was, for many, the final event to commemorate the Chorley Pals.
By Tom Earnshaw, Reporter
Published 26th Feb 2019, 06:47 BST
Updated 26th Feb 2019, 07:57 BST
The unveiled plaque (Image: JPIMedia)The unveiled plaque (Image: JPIMedia)
The unveiled plaque (Image: JPIMedia)

The ceremony at noon on Saturday saw crowds including Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP, Mayor of Chorley Margaret Lees and Steve Williams, Secretary of the Chorley Pals Memorial Trust, descend on the town’s railway station to unveil a new plaque honouring the Pals, who made up one quarter of the Accrington Pals Battalion.

Trustees revealed that the event was viewed as the ‘last event’ to commemorate the Pals since the Trust was established in 2007 by Sir Lindsay and Steve Williams.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In his address, Sir Lindsay said we should never forget the sacrifice of the Pals and all the men and women from Chorley who went off to fight, many never to return.

The unveiled plaque (Image: JPIMedia)The unveiled plaque (Image: JPIMedia)
The unveiled plaque (Image: JPIMedia)

The date and time of the unveiling of the plaque were the same as in 1915, when the soldiers left Chorley for training at Caernarfon, Wales before heading to the Western Front.

For Mayor Lees the unveiling was very personal with her grandfather, Private John Lawrenson, one of the men sent off to war.

Related topics:PoliticiansMayor