Names in bold type found post 1999 or post 2015
Parbold Rolls of Honour (2000)
In 1999 the then chairman of Parbold Parish Council Cllr Jim Kelly, sought to address the issue of the village having no War Memorial. One situated in a ‘public place’ by that I mean a village location, other than contained in a building with the need of permission to view.
Both churches Our Lady’s RC & Christ Church have memorials reflecting faith. But no gathering on Armistice Day or Armistice Sunday allowing ‘faiths’ to reflect together is possible, no communal community gathering, the laying of wreaths, two minutes silence, The Last Post has never been witnessed in the village.
Sadly Cllr Kelly notable efforts where to be unfulfilled, and even today 2024 no such memorial exists. What did arise was ‘research’ to establish service identity of the ‘known men of the village’ additionally those not commemorated in the churches. These are contained in the books laid on the above lectern, all In black and white, no colour for that was what ‘War Graves’ placed on the internet in 1996, unchanged by 1999/2000, and remained so for some years thereafter.
In 2015 twelve months after considerable resource reflecting The Great War (Men of West Lancashire District) had been provided for in Ormskirk, Burscough, Skelmersdale, Up Holland libraries (Completed August 3rd 2014) It was suggested to Maggie Bracegirdle the Librarian here at Parbold Library, that such an idea would be possible for ‘her library’
In 2014 CWWG ‘opened up their archives’ Overnight one could say. The new archives contained documents information never before available to the general public, shedding light on burials, exhumations, next of kin authorizations for grave requests, plus it was all in colour!
To enhance the original work, a Roll of Honour was produced embracing WW1/ WW2, it was never placed in the library, due to library closure. I confess as author I have never considered offering it either, it has lain on my bookshelf 95% completed, its completion this is now underway. However one can never ever say all is known about ALL men / women. Let alone be certain that any memorial anywhere in the United Kingdom is ever representative of all that should be honoured upon it.
There now exists a social interest in the library on a community footing ‘ The Friends of Parbold Library’ has emerged whilst grown, they not only encourage its community use and resources, but offer subsistence in funding to ensure it is a community resource in every sense.
Now it seems a good a time as any to place this Roll of Honour in its rightful place.
The work will also be uploaded on this site, with its own dedicated Parbold Page. Parbold was the very first project of this ilk that I undertook, while the first of its kind in West Lancashire placed in public domain, fourteen before the archives of The Great War in the libraries.
Councillor Jim Kelly you’re not forgotten.
Richard Houghton 2000 / 2024.
Some pages indicative of what will appear on this site.