History of the Memorial |
On 14 May 1918 Alexander Eccles made a legal agreement giving his consent to the erection of a war memorial on a piece of land he owned in the civil parish of Myerscough known as Wharf Field, located between the Lancaster Canal and the A6, opposite Bilsborrow John Cross CE Primary School. To quote from the original indenture it was erected by means of contributions and subscriptions from residents in the townships of Myerscough, Bilsborrow and Barton in memory of the men of the said townships who fell in the Great War.
The memorial is a column of Longridge stone, surmounted by a cross, with four steps at the base. The names of the men who died are carved into panels of Lakeland slate along with the names of eighty-five men from the community who also served and survived to return home. The name of Private John Nugent was unfortunately missed off the slate panel, so his name was carved directly into the stone. Finally trees were planted behind the structure. It cost £270 and was erected by Messrs T Hodgkinson and Sons. Alexander Eccles died on 17 March 1919. He was a bachelor and had named Thomas Eccles as his heir and Joseph Eccles as his representative, to whom probate was granted on 18 June 1919.
Thomas, who lived at Coker Court, near Yeovil, Somerset, and Joseph who lived at Bilsborrow Hall, Bilsborrow, wanted to carry out Alexander’s intention which was to give the land, on which the memorial stood, to the parish council. An indenture was signed on 30 June 1924 between Thomas and Joseph Eccles and Myerscough Parish Council. The land was 267 square yards or thereabouts being part of Wharf Field. |
Unveiling and dedication |
The ceremony took place on 18 August 1921. The National Anthem was sung followed by the hymn O God our help in ages past. An address was given by the local member of parliament, General Sir Archibald Hunter GCB, GCVO, DSO, MP who then unveiled the memorial. On it were listed the names of fourteen men who died in the Great War and the names of eighty-five men from the parish who also served and survived to return home.
The Venerable Archdeacon P J Hornby of Lancaster gave the dedication followed by prayers and the hymn Lead kindly light and a benediction. Finally a detachment from The King’s Own (Royal Lancaster Regiment) fired a salute of three volleys and two buglers sounded the Last Post and Reveille. Following the Second World War the names of nine men from the locality who had died on active service were added on a separate panel of Lakeland slate which was set into the stone alongside the others. Image © Copyright Bob Jenkins and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence |
Managing Trustees and Keepers |
Day-to-day upkeep and general maintenance of the Memorial is delegated by Myerscough & Bilsborrow Parish Council to ex-officio Managing Trustees, comprising two Councillors from Barton Parish Council, two Councillors from Myerscough & Bilsborrow Parish Council and a Chairman nominated by the Trustees at their Annual Meeting, presently Dr J Barry Johnson DL. Mr Roy W L Bassnett JP, Clerk of Myerscough & Bilsborrow Parish Council, provides the clerkship. To help ensure that the work is maintained to the highest standard, in keeping with the Memorial’s status, the Trustees enlist the help of Keepers from local volunteers.
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Lancashire Best Kept Village Competition |
Thanks to the dedication of a small band of volunteers the
memorial has often been highly commended in the War Memorials Class of
Lancashire's Best Kept Village Competition and was County Champion in 2001.
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2003 Heritage Project |
In September 2003, with the financial support of Local
Heritage Initiative, Myerscough & Bilsborrow Parish Council entered into a
heritage project. The project involved research into the biographies and military campaigns of the Great War and Second World War fallen by a community team including the
children of the primary schools within the parish, and. a major remodelling of the
Memorial grounds to provide better access and to accommodate the presentation
of core biographical particulars of the fallen. The remodelling works were generously
designed by landscape architects Alan and Valerie Shaw of Churchtown. The climax of the project was a Festival of
Remembrance in Preston Minster, performed to full houses in the afternoon and
evening of 10 July 2004. The children
of the parish primary schools played a major part in the Festival.
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2010 Landscaping Works |
The 2010 landscaping project saw the felling of four disfigured leylandii trees and their replacement by a nineteen-piece yew hedge on a semi-circular stone-fronted, craftsman built, raised platform. The main contractor was Marsdens Building and Maintenance Contractors Ltd and the tree works were carried out by Myerscough College arboriculture undergraduates as an act of charity. The County Council, District Council and the Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund made contributions towards the cost, as did Marsdens. Alan and Valerie Shaw generously designed the scheme. With further financial assistance from the County Council and anonymous donations the project was made whole by the provision of a high quality information display case to Mr & Mrs Shaw's specification.
In 2015 it was arranged that the railings be taken down from the wall around the grounds of the Memorial and that the wall be re-pointed by J Robinson Building Contractors Limited of Claughton-on-Brock. The scheme was kindly designed by Mr & Mrs Shaw and funded by generous donations. A brass nameplate was provided at the entry point to the grounds out of the proceeds of the sale of the redundant railings.
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