Carnforth to mark 100th anniversary of its war memorial with weekend of events

To commemorate the occasion Carnforth Town Council is planning a number of events over the weekend of November 8 to 10, the highlight being a re-enactment of the original unveiling ceremony on Saturday November 9.

The programme of events includes:

*Friday November 8: courtesy of the North West Film Archive in Manchester, there will be a special screening of the original 1924 film of the unveiling ceremony together with other contemporary newsreel footage of life in Carnforth and the surrounding area. There will be two screenings at the Civic Hall in Carnforth, the first a matinee for local schools starting at 3.15pm and a second, a public screening at 7.30pm. Entry is free but by ticket only. Further details can be found on the town council website and social media pages.

*Saturday November 9: starting at Carnforth High School at approximately 2.30pm, there will be a civic and military parade led by the Accrington Pipe & Drum Band along Kellet Road and Market Street to the war memorial itself. At 3pm there will be a short ceremony when Lord Cavendish of Holker (whose forebear presided over the original ceremony in 1924) will re-enact the unveiling of the memorial. Lord Cavendish will be accompanied by the Lord Lieutenant and the High Sheriff of Lancashire together with the leader of Lancashire County Council, the mayors of Lancaster and Carnforth and Lizzi Collinge MP. A group of military re-enactors will also be present complete with Second World War military vehicles. Members of the public are being encouraged to play their part by turning out with Union flags to watch the parade and the re-enactment of the unveiling ceremony itself.

*Sunday November 10: from 10.30am there will be the traditional Remembrance Day service led by Captain Tracey Collis of the Salvation Army in the war memorial gardens. The Carnforth memorial is one of only six that incorporates a sculpture of a First World War “Tommy” created by celebrated sculptor, Percy Bentham. The other Bentham sculptures are in Audenshaw, Ballywalter (Northern Ireland), Dukenfield, Haydon Bridge and Trowbridge. Wreaths are being exchanged and will be laid at the service on behalf of these towns. Local organisations including the Townswomen’s Guild and the Women’s Institute together with local schools are supporting the weekend of events by making poppies and bunting that will be used to decorate the streets and shop windows around Carnforth.

Leading the event on behalf of Carnforth Town Council, Coun Ian Laurence said: ‘We believe that this promises to be an extremely exciting and poignant weekend for Carnforth, its residents and visitors, young and old alike. It will also be the culmination of a lot of hard work not only by the Councillors and staff of the town council, but also by the very many local organisations and individuals who have lent their support and assistance to what we all

hope will be a memorable occasion.

"Thank you to all those who have been involved. We now need public support to ensure our weekend is a great success by surpassing the 2,000 residents and visitors that witnessed the original unveiling back in 1924!”