Roman Catholic Memorials​

Pleasington Priory Pleasington | Sacred Heart R.C. Church | St. Annes Church
St. Joseph's Church War Memorial


 

Pleasington Priory Pleasington

Pleasington Priory (St. Mary's and St. John's) is situated on, Sandy Lane, Pleasington.
There were two memorials dedicated in the church on the same day, both took the form of alters with a white marble base and a carved oak reredos one of the alters was dedicated to Father James Lawless and the other to the men of the parish who lost their lives in the Great War. The War Memorial alter had two identical brass plaques with the inscription:

In
Holy Remembrance Of Men
Of This Parish Who Nobly
Laid Down Their Lives
In The Great War 1914–1919

Then follow the names of the men:
1915
 Richard Coupe; Thomas Kelsall; Robert Claridge; George Claridge; Ambrose Marginson.
1916
Richard Midghall; Sebastian Booth; George Mooney; Robert Seed.
1918
Joseph Holt; Basil Butler Bowden; Richard Hargreaves; Joseph Marsden; Joseph Parkinson.

These two plaques are now located at either side of the Butler Bowden vault.
the War Memorial was unveiled on Sunday 10th April 1921.

Blackburn Times: April 16th 1921.
Blackburn Weekly Telegraph: April 16th 1921.
War Memorial Ref. No.: 54857.
A History of Pleasington Priory, By Stephen Martin Child.

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Sacred Heart R.C. Church

Sacred heart Church was situated on St. Silas’s Road, now on the corner of Preston New Road and Billinge Avenue.
The Memorial, (now lost) consisted of a framed Roll of Honour containing the name of the 22 men belonging to the church, who gave their lives in WW1.
There is no record of the men who died or of any inscription.
The Memorial was unveiled on the 30
th January 1921 by Master Lacey, whose father had been killed in the war.
No names recorded.

Blackburn Times 5th February 1921.
War Memorial Ref. No.: 56880.

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St. Annes Church

Location of Church, Princes Street.
The Memorial took the form of an altar with sacred heart statue. There was a coloured mosaic tiled panel at the front depicting a wounded soldier with a crucifix

150 men of the parish were killed.

Dedicated and unveiled by the Bishop of Salford, Thomas Henshaw, on Friday 3rd of June 1927.
No further Information on this Memorial.

Blackburn Times: 8th January 1927.
Blackburn Weekly Telegraph: 4th June 1927.
War Memorial Ref. No.:51286

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St. Joseph's Church War Memorial

The General Memorial at St. Joseph's was the renovation and decoration of the whole church and installation of electric lights the names of those killed were on a Memorial Painting. The work began early 1923 and was carried out by R. Nicholson, Associate of the Institution of British Decorators, of Preston and Longridge. 

The Memorial Painting was fixed in the Sacred Heart Chapel and took the form of a painting measuring 6ft by 4ft (1.8M by 1.2m). In the centre was the figure of Christ in the tomb and hovering above were two angles. The painting was oil on zinc.
Underneath were seven Panels. The first represented a soldier's grave, copied from a photograph. The next five panels contained the names of the 80 men killed in the Great War. The last panel was a painting symbolising a sailor's grave, with a buoy bearing a laurel wreath. There was a figure of an angel on either side of the memorial.
Underneath was the following inscription;

As a token of their love and admiration, for their fellow
parishioners who made the supreme sacrifice for King
and country in the Great War of 1914-18, and in
gratitude to God for those who returned, the people
of St. Joseph' have renovated and decorated this Church
A.D. 1923.

The unveiling of the War Memorial took place on the 3rd February 1924 by Mrs. Kershaw. The Very Rev. Dean Power conducted the service.

The names of those who lost their lives are:
Pte. Thomas Brennan, Pte. William Burgess, Sgt. John Thomas Burke, Pte. Daniel Joseph Burney, Pte. Thomas Burney, Cpl. Michael Callan, Sgt. William Calverley, Cpl. John Carter, Dri. John Caton, pte. James Comaskey senr., Rifleman James Comaskey, junr., Pte. John Comaskey, Pte. Richard Cook, Pte. Joseph Cooper, Lieut. Joseph Corban, Rifleman William Cowban, Pte. Walter Crook, Pte. James Cunliffe, Pte. Edward Dennett, Sgt. John Dewhurst, Pte James Duckworth, Pte Robert Eastwood, Pte. Herbert Entwistle, Pte. Thomas Ferney, Pte. James Foy, Pte. George Foy, Pte William Gleeson, L-Cpl. John Green, Pte. William Hawthorne, Pte Benjamin Hayhurst, Pte. Richard Hindle, Pte. Edwin Holden, Pte. Bernard Kilshaw, Pte. Robert Knowles, Rifleman George Laycock, Pte John Lavelle, Pte. John Leonard, Pte. Michael Loftus, Sapper Henry Macneall, Pte. Samuel Martinland, Pte Edward McDonald, Acting Cpl. William McDonald, Rifleman John McHugh, Pte. James McHugh, Pte James McKenna, Pte. John McNulty, Pte James Henry Merrick, Pte George Metcalf, Pte Thomas Moore, L-Cpl. William Moran, Pt. Thomas Noone, L-Cpl, Richard Preston, Pte. John Rainford, Pte. James Reddan, Pte. Walter Reid, Gunner James Riding, Pte. James Robinson, Pte. John J. Robinson, Pte, Richard Robinson, Sgt. Thomas Robinson, Pte. Richard Rothwell, Pte. George Scholes, Pte. Thomas Scully, Pte. Herbert Shorrock, Pte. Ralph Shorrock, Gunner Joseph Shorrock, Pte James Smith, Cpl. Leo Smith, Cpl. William Smith, Pte W. Southworth, Pte. John Tweedy, Pte. Michael Walsh, 1st Air-Mech. Edward Ward, Pte. Karl West, Gunner T. West, Pte. William West, L-Cpl. W. Wilcock, Pte. Joseph Witherington.

Blackburn Times: 9th February 1924.

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