Memorials - Leyland - Church Road Civic War Memorial

Church Road, Leyland - Opposite St.Andrew's Church, PR25 2FN
Ordnance Survey Grid Reference: SD 54101 21629
IWM War Memorials Register - 42564
War Memorials Online - WMO250257
Designed by architect Fred Howarth and built by Samuel Welsby of Liverpool. The memorial was unveiled on 9th November 1929 by Major D. Jervoise Collas, officer commanding depot Loyal Regiment and Mr. Charles Porter, a Leyland resident who had been blinded in the war. The memorial was dedicated on the same day by Atherton Gwillym Rawstorne (1855-1936), the Bishop Suffragan of Whalley.  The memorial was re-dedicated when extended 16th September 1951.  The total cost being £1,295 (for the original memorial).
The memorial is situated at the junction of Church road and Stanning street opposite St.Andrews church.  It is bordered by a wall on Church road with a central gate.  The wall to the left of the gate has 9 raised piers on which plaques bearing the names of regiments and services represented on the memorial are situated on piers 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 8 and 9 (right to left radiating from gate), while the wall to the right of the gate also has nine raised piers with regimental and service names on 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 and 9 (right to left radiating from gate). ​

The plaques show some scarring from vandalism.  The Stanning street side is bordered by a hedgerow.  The memorial itself is towards the rear of the plot and an ornamental garden is before it.  Two benches are provided for the public.

The main memorial comprises a wall made from Scottish granite on which are six black stone tablets which bear names in gilt lettering.  The central four tablets bear the names of the WW1 men commemorated here - this was the original core of the memorial and the two outer tablets have been added post-WW2.  A granite cross stands at the front centre of the wall and this has an octagonal base.  An ornate canopy stands at the top of the wall and covers the top of the cross.  The memorial is mounted atop three steps.  Ornate carving on the canopy, cross and along the top border of the wall.

There is a separate memorial to the left of the main memorial that is dedicated to the men who have fallen since WW2.  This comprises a carved rock upon which four plaques with the names of four soldiers, killed in four theatres are represented.

The left hand brick pier of the entrance to the garden was rebuilt after it was demolished in an accident in 1996.
LEYLAND WAR MEMORIAL.
THE TOWNS 195 DEAD SOLDIERS.
MR. HACKING ON THE UTILITY OF MONUMENTS.
​
A public war memorial in memory of the 195 Leyland soldiers, who died in the Great War, was unveiled and dedicated on Saturday afternoon. The memorial, which faces the parish church, is designed in Gothic architecture, and has been carried out in Scottish granite. The architect is Mr. Fred Haworth, whose design was selected in open competition, and the contractor was Mr. Samuel Welsby, of Liverpool.
The proceedings commenced with a procession from the Town Hall to the memorial, preceded by the Leyland band. Those taking part included Mr. John Lord, chairman of the Memorial Committee, who presided, the Bishop of Whalley, the Rt. Hon. Douglas H. Hacking, M.P. for Chorley, Major D. Jervoise Collas, officer commanding depot the Loyal Regiment, the Revs. W. A. Underwood and T. H. Gibson (Leyland), and Messrs. H. B. Crozier (hon. treasurer) and M. A. Wilkinson (hon. secretary of the Memorial Committee, Emlyn Jones, of Newton-le-Willows, William Taylor, of Newcastle-on-Tyne, H. N. ffarington, A. J. Lomax, chairman, and members of the Leyland Urban Council. Members of the St. John Ambulance Brigade, the local police force, and friendly societies also took part, as well as a large number of ex-servicemen.

THE UNVEILING CEREMONY.

The unveiling ceremony was performed by Major Collas and Mr. Charles Porter, a Leyland soldier who was blinded in the war.  Major Collas said that he had been 24 years in a Lancashire regiment, and during that time had realised the incomparable qualities of the Lancashire soldier.
Buglers of the Loyal Regiment sounded the "Last Post" and, following the dedication by the Bishop of Whalley, a two minutes' silence was observed.  This was ended by the Reveille.
The Chairman (Mr. J. Lord) said that the ceremony marked the realisation of a long and arduous struggle. They had always wanted one of the best possible memorials, and he was sure that Leyland would be proud of the one which had been erected. He had often heard people say that money should not be spent on war memorials, but he thought that they were one of the best means of keeping before people the idea of world-peace.
It was his pleasing duty to announce that the committee were handing the memorial over to the Council entirely free of debt.
Mr. A. J. Lomax accepted the memorial on behalf of the Leyland Council. Wreaths were then laid at the base of the memorial by Mr. J. Lord, Mr. Lomax, the British Legion, the St. John Ambulance Corps, and relatives.
The Rt. Hon. Douglas Hacking said that he had asked himself why that memorial had been erected. Was it to celebrate a great victory? That alone might be sufficient excuse in some people's minds. Or was it to remind them of those heroes who fought and died for the country which they had left. Those might be two very sound reasons for the erection of the memorial, but there was still a greater reason. "I believe it is to remind us, not of the late Great War, but of the horrors of warfare in general," he continued. "That I believe is the great object in building this memorial." They should not look on it in any spirit of boastfulness, but in a spirit of humility and a fervent hope that at long last they had learnt their lesson.
​Mr. Emlyn Jones (Liberal candidate for the Chorley division at the last General Election), and Mr. William Taylor (Labour candidate) also spoke.
Leyland Church Road Civic Memorial
Image © Charles O'Donnell 2018
The Unveiling and Dedication
Image from Lancashire Daily Post Monday 11 November 1929 via British Newspaper Archive
All images © Charles O'Donnell 2018
Right-click the file below and select 'open link in new tab' for a full archive of news articles about this memorial. All articles courtesy British Newspaper Archive
Leyland Civic War Memorial - News Articles
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Pier plaques:
(Pier 1) L.N. LANCS  (2) E. LANCS  (3) R.A.F. (4) R.A.M.C.  (6) SCOTTSH RIF. (8) S.A. INF.  (9) SCOTS GDS.
(Pier 1) L'POOL SCOTTSH  (2) K'S. O. LANCS. (4) R.F.A.  (6) R.NAVY.  (8) K'S L'POOL  (9) HOUSLD BATT.
Benches (x2):
IN MEMORY OF THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
Main memorial:
1914 (on canopy above tablet 2) 1918 (on canopy above tablet 5)
1939 (on canopy above tablet 1) 1945 (on canopy above tablet 6)
Greater love hath no man than this, that a
man lay down his life for his friends (above tablets 2-5)
Erected in memory of those who gave their lives in the Great War. (below tablets 2-5)
Tablet 2 (49 names):
ALMOND, T.
ANSON, H.H.
APPLEBY, F.
ASHTON, J.
ASPINALL, R.
BALDWIN, F.
BALDWIN, T.G.
BALL, G.
BANISTER, F.
BANISTER, H.
BANISTER, T.
BARKER, E.
BARNES, T.
BARNES, J.
BARRON, R.
BEARDWOOD, J.A.
BEARDSWORTH, H.
BEARDSWORTH, R.
BENNETT, J.
BENNETT, H.
BENNETT, H.
BERRY, J.T.
BERRY, O.W.
BERRY, W.
BERRY, W.J.
BIBBY, C.
BLACKHURST, C.
BLACKHURST, J.M.
BLUNDELL, F.
BLUNDELL, V.
BOLTON, S.
BOWLING, A.
BOWLING, F.
BOYDELL, P.
BRADLEY, J.
BRAITHWIATE, R.
BRETHERTON, S.
BRINDLE, A.
BROWN, R.
BROWN, B.
BROWN, G.
BURKE, J.T.
BUTCHER, F.G.
CAMERON, R.M.M.
CAMERON, N.M.
CAMPBELL, J.
CAMPBELL, T.
CAMPBELL, JOS.
CAMPBELL, W.
Tablet 3 (53 names):
CARDWELL, H.
CARLINE, E.
CARR, J.
CARR, T.
CATTERALL, J.H.
CHAMBERLAIN, J.A.
CHAPMAN, J.
COLLINGE, G.
COLLINGE, W.
COOK, C.
COOK, W.
COTTAM, P.
CROFT, T.R.
CROOK, T.
CROOK, E.
CROSS, E.
CUNCANNON, J.E.
DAWBER, H.W.
DAWBER, W.
DEWHURST, H.
DITCHFIELD, R.
EAVES, W.
FAIRCLOUGH, T.
FAIRCLOUGH, F.
FAZACKERLEY, J.
FIDLER, W.
FINCH, T.
FLETCHER, H.
FRANCE, J.
GLOVER, G.
GLOVER, T.
GLOVER, T.F.
GRAY, J.B.
GRAY, R.
HAMPSON, W.
HARRISON, G.
HARRISON, N.
HATTON, A.
HANKIN, G.
HARRISON, N.
HATTON, A.
HANKIN, G.
HAWKINS, C.
HEWITSON, G.
HEYES, H.
HIGHAM, J.
HIGHAM, W.J.
HIGHAM, T.
HILL, E.
HILL, J.
HILTON, J.
HOLDING, R.
HOLMES, A.
Tablet 4 (50 names):
HOLMES, R.
HOLMES, W.
HORNBY, B.
HORNBY, H.
HORNBY, R.
JACKSON, H.B.
JACKSON, R.
JACKSON, W.
JOYCE, J.
KELLY, J.
KENYON, T.W.
KING, J.T.
KNIGHT, J.
LAZENBY, R.
LINDLEY, T.
MARSDEN, F.
MARSDEN, J.
MARSDEN, W.
MARSH, A.
MARSTON, G.
MARSTON, S.
MC.CALL, J.
MC.DADE, H.
MIDDLETON, A.C.
MILLER, B.
MILLER. M.
MOORE, J.E.
MORRELL, R.D.A.
MORRIS, H.
MORRIS, T.
MOSS, E.
NELSON, R.
NORRIS, T.
NORRIS, S.A.
PAGE, A.
PARKER, A.
PARKER, T.M.
PEARCE, F.E.
PEMBERTON, T.
PENDREIGH, T.
PICKUP, H.
PICKUP, T.
PORTER, H.
PORTER, J.W.
POTTER, T.
PRESTON, W.C.N.
PYE, J.E.
RIDING, P.
ROSE, C.L.
SHARPLES, J.
Tablet 5 (46 names):
SHARPLES, J.C.
SIMPSON, J.W.
SMALLEY, H.
SMALLEY, P.
SOUTHWORTH, H.
SPIBY, T.
STARKIE, J.
STEPHENSON, L.
STRINGFELLOW, J.
SWARBRICK, J.B.
TATTERSALL, W.
TAYLOR, M.
THORNLEY, G.
THORNLEY, S.
THORNTON, S.
TINSLEY, R.
TOWERS, G.
TOWERS, R.
TRAFFORD, J.
TURNER, R.
VALENTINE, R.
WALLBANK, H.
WALMSLEY, C.
WANE, J.
WAREING, C.
WAREING, J.
WARING, T.
WATKINSON, W.
WATSON, J.
WHATLEY, G.
WIGNALL, T.
WILDMAN, J.
WILSON, H.
WILSON, T.
WILSON, R.
WOOD, W.L.
WOODS, J.
WOODS, R.
WOODACRE, F.
WOODHALL, W.
WOODHOUSE, C.J.
WRENNALL, F.
WRENNALL, R.
YATES, S.
TYRER, A.
FAIRCLOUGH, J.
World War 2 and subsequent conflicts.  The memorial has been extended left and right to accommodate the names of the men who died in WW2.  The men who have died in subsequent conflicts have their names inscribed on plaques and affixed to a carved rock which stands freely to the left of the main memorial.
Tablet 1  (to the left of the columns dedicated to WW2 men - 37 names):
ARCHER, O.
ARROWSMITH, W.
BAMBER, H.
BANKS, W.
BARR, P.
BARRETT, M.
BARRITT, F.S.
BILLING, G.
BILLSBORROW, J.
BRADLEY, W.
BRENNAN, F.
BURNS, W.
CARTER-MCGRATH, T.
COOKSON, D.
DAWBER, T.
DICKINSON, I.
FIELDING, J.
FISHWICK, J.
GALLAGHER, D.
GOLD, D.
GREGSON, W.V.
GRIFFITHS, G.
GRIMSHAW, H.
HARROP, W.C.
HEYES, T.
HINCHCLIFFE, J.W.
HOLDING, E.
HORROCKS, J.W.
HOTCHKISS, T.
HOYLE, H.
KELLETT, O.
KNIGHT, J.
LATHAM, F.
LEWIS, T.
LYONS, T.
MANN, W.
MARSDEN, A.
Tablet 6 (to the right of the columns dedicated to WW2 men - 37 names):
MAYO, V.J.
MCDOUGALL, H.
MCIVER, C.
MILLER,F.
MORLEY, R.G.
NEALE, J.
O'CONNOR, R.
OGDEN, J.
PARKER, G.
PARKER, J.
PARKINSON, P.
PARR, J.
PETERS, J.
SEDDON, H.L.
SEFTON, J.F.
SHAW, H.
SHEPHERD, F.W.
SHIRES, F.S.
SMITH, F.
SNAPE, W.
SQUIRES, A.
STRANGEWAY, R.W.
SWIFT, T.
TAYLOR, W.
THACKER, W.L.
THOMAS, J.F.
TODD, J.T.
TUFFIN, C.
VALENTINE, F.
WARD, H.
WARD, M.
WATSON, T.
WHITNEY, E.
WILLIAMS, J.E.H.
WILLIAMS, R.J.
WILLMOTT, G.H.E.
WRIGHT, R.J.
IN MEMORY OF
THOSE WHO HAVE
LOST THEIR LIVES
IN CONFLICT SINCE 1945
(Four plaques fixed to a carved rock standing freely to the left of the main memorial)
(First row left to right)
Gordon Yates
Korea 1951
Michael David Love
Falklands 1982
Stephen Robert Wright
Iraq 2006

(Second row, centre)
Paul Warren
Afghanistan 2010

Charles O'Donnell
Please email the project with any amendments or corrections 
Edited 26 May 2018
Preston & Central Lancashire WFA
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The WFA was formed in 1980 to maintain interest in the First World War (1914-1918). We work to perpetuate the memory, courage and comradeship of all, from all sides, on all Fronts: on land, at sea, in the air and on the Home Front. The WFA is non-political and does not seek to glorify war.