Memorable reminder of town’s Regiment links

From: Dennis Cairns, Pen-y-Ghent Way, Barnoldswick, Lancashire.

SUNDAY, September 8, was a momentous day for this small town once in the West Riding but now under the administration of Lancashire. Why? It was the occasion of the Rededication of Barnoldswick War Memorial and the Award of Honorary Freedom of the town to the Yorkshire Regiment. This resulted in an invasion of troops from Yorkshire led by the commanding officer of the 4th Battalion Yorkshire Regiment.

One of the three regiments that merged to form the Yorkshire Regiment was that of the Duke of Wellington that had had a long association with Barnoldswick for over 100 years.

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Two representatives from this part of Lancashire were in attendance, the Mayor of Pendle and our local Member of Parliament. Then followed a Service of Commitment and Remembrance led by the Rev D Oldham, Chaplain to the British Legion in West Craven, before a procession mustered to proceed to the War Memorial itself.

Led by the Regimental Band and some 60 combat troops, followed by veterans with their various banners, local groups of cadets, representatives of the RNLI and others, the procession made its way around the streets before arriving at the War Memorial. Here two new panels had been placed in recesses by the original war memorial, one bearing the names of men and women who died in the First World War but had been omitted from that memorial. Likewise, the second panel bore the names of those who died during the Second World War and beyond.

The honour of unveiling these panels was given to two local men who had spent many years of research to find those missing names; a research that is ongoing.

Truly this was a most memorable day for Barnoldswick.