Church pays its tribute to lost parish heroes
STUART PIKE
REMEMBRANCE Sunday 2016 marks, almost to the day, 100 years since the ending of the Battle of the Somme; a bloodbath where British losses, on the first day alone, were 19,240 dead and over 38,000 wounded.
Over this Remembrance weekend, a special exhibition in St James the Less RC Church, Rawtenstall, will commemorate the 25 soldiers of the parish who died during the First World War, some at the Battle of the Somme.
The sacrifice of these 25 local soldiers had, up to last year, gone unrecognised. While researching the history of the Parish for the centenary of the start of the war, Parish priest, Father David Lupton, along with some interested parishioners, realised there was no memorial anywhere in the church or the church grounds, nor was there any record of parishioners who had died in the war.
Extensive and exhaustive research of the church’s records then slowly revealed names and brief details of the 25 lost in the war.
Further research, using the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, archives of the Rossendale Free Press and other websites, slowly uncovered more and more about the forgotten 25.
Father David Lupton said: “These brave men of our parish sacrificed themselves for the free- dom of this country. It’s a great honour to able to be part of this project that will now ensure they will be remembered in the future.”
Supported by a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £10,000, generous donations from the parishioners themselves and a number of commercial sponsors, the 25 forgotten soldiers are now permanently remembered, both locally on a remarkable memorial that stands proudly in the church grounds on Burnley Road and worldwide through a dedicated website, www. rememberhere. co. uk developed by Burnleybased company, Dand M Creative.
The website has stories and images of the soldiers who died, along with information and pictures about life in Rossendale before, during and after the war.
It is hoped that the website will provide a lasting legacy for the project and engage with young people.
The exhibition will take place at St James the Less Church between Thursday, November 10 and Sunday, November 13, from 12noon to 5pm.
It is open to the public, with free admission. All are welcome.