Almost Forgotten
(research by Andrew Gill)
Click on the image above to go to the memorial
The Memorial was placed in Holy Trinity Church, Burnley at the end of World War One to commemorated the 79 men from Holy Trinity and its two satellite missions, St Aidens and St Oswalds who were killed in the war.
They paid
the ultimate price - and their memories became 'junk'
Our heroes ... on the scrapheap (Burnley
Express November 15th 1994 by Kim Pilling)
They gave their lives for their country in the Great War and ended up on the
scrapheap. The memory of 79 brave young men from
the Burnley area was about to be wiped away. The ultimate sacrifice given by
these forgotten heroes was to be dumped in the dustbin of history. Inscribed
on a glorious 6ft. by 4ft. plaque, the copper sheet memorial was hidden away
beneath the rest of the "junk" in a Wigan scrap metal yard. Its pitiful
fate was to be melted into a lump of scrap metal which would barely fetch £100
Just £1 per death
That's just over £1 each for the names of the dear and departed such as
Fred Moseley, John
Schofield, George
Graham and Archie Mitchell. Together
with the other heroes who fought and died in World War 1, they were all members
of Holy Trinity Church, now closed. It was only a split second glance from metal
dealer Sam Ainscough who saved it from meltdown. After rescuing the missing
plaque from the scrapheap, hopes are high that a permanent home can be found
for the memorial.
Tracing the relatives
Local war veterans
organisations are now trying to trace the families of the dead men. A relative
of one of the forgotten heroes has already been traced still living in Burnley.
At 81 William Joll, of Booth Court, Burnley was relieved to know the memory
of his father, L/Sgt William Joll , had
been kept alive. His father served in the 8th East Lancashire and was killed
in action in France 1916, aged 32. His uncle Jack, also fought in the war and
won two Military Medals. But how did this glorious tribute end up on a scrapheap,
cheek by jowl with battered prams, washing machines and fridges ?
To the Glory of God
How could anyone have
mislaid the emotive plaque which reads : " To the Glory of God and in Ever
Grateful Memory of the Members of our Church who died in the Great War, This
tablet and the Cross in the Churchyard are Erected"
The last time anyone can remember seeing it was in 1989 -- the year Holy Trinity,
in Accrington Road, closed. It's a complete mystery to the Rev. Roy McCullough,
who was the last priest at Holy Trinity, which is now home to a block of flats.
In safe hands ?
He said : " There
were so many memorials and plaques which had to be removed when the church closed.
I remember them being taken away, and as far as I knew they were in safe hands.
But I can't say for certain that this plaque was among them." Richard Steele,
communications officer for the church of England , is tracking down the mystery
of the missing plaque.
"We can't rule out the possibility that it was stolen. There was a theft
at the church five years ago when quite a lot was taken, so maybe that's what
happened to the plaque."