Report and photos from John Herbert

Armistice Day will be marked by an ecumenical Service of Dedication at Scarisbrick’s new First World War memorial.

The parish’s main churches will come together to honour men of Scarisbrick who gave the ultimate sacrifice in the conflict. Commencing at 11.00am in the grounds of Scarisbrick Village Hall, the service will include the Calling of the Names and reading of extracts pertaining to the lives of the Fallen by local schoolchildren - all are welcome to attend.





Composed of polished black granite with distinctive white lettering, the memorial carries the names of sixty-four men. Many of them had strong associations with the agricultural heritage of the parish and this is recognised by a frieze depicting a horse drawn plough amongst poppies entwined with sheaves of corn.

The service marks the culmination of the first part of a parish project to mark the centenary of the Great War. Painstaking research by members of a community working group identified an additional thirty Scarisbrick men who do not appear on the existing parish memorial. The group then proceeded to raise funds for a new and fully inclusive memorial.

Thanks to the generosity of the people of Scarisbrick, and a significant contribution from West Lancashire Heritage Association, the memorial now stands proudly in the grounds of the Village Hall. Local firms Ormsby of Scarisbrick (stonemasonry) and Dave Finney Landscapes (groundwork) have completed the work.

Many local names are represented on the monument with families still residing in Scarisbrick and surrounding areas. It is hoped that the memorial will help to provide closure for these families, given that circumstances often dictated that remains were not returned home.

The second part of the project is to be completed by the end of the centenary commemorations. It is intended that memorial books will be installed in Scarisbrick’s churches and schools which will tell the stories of these men as individuals and the conditions in which they served. An often forgotten group will also be included – those who served and came home. It is expected that the lives of about 200 men will be remembered in this way. The project will thereby provide a touchstone between past and present, affording an opportunity to inform about the horrors of warfare by outlining the extra-ordinary sacrifice of a previous generation.