The link to the Freckleton war memorial is here. This is the "other" Freckleton memorial. It is behind the parish church, not hidden, not secret either, just away from casual eyes. A grief shared by a village, for a thing that should not have happened. Its poignancy is enhanced by the fact that it also the grave too. A rarity among memorials - possibly the only one I have seen of this type. There is a BBC report here.
I will post pictures of the playground when I have the opportunity to visit again.
The pictures and the names are below. Please use.
It is unbelievably sad, yet a still and reflective place. However worth a visit. I feel this memorial looks just as impeccable as it must have looked 50 years ago.
I will post pictures of the playground when I have the opportunity to visit again.
The pictures and the names are below. Please use.
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| The memorial. It is against the back wall of the churchyard. |
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| Impeccably kept,. There are three seats around the outside. |
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| There are many freshly cut flowers and remembrances. |
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| The left hand side |
TEACHERS
JENNIE HALL
LOUISA L HULME
SCHOLARS
HOWARD ALLANSON
MARTIN P. ALSTON
EDNA R. ASKEW
SYLVIA BICKERSTAFFE
KENNETH BOOCOCK
JEAN BUTCHER
DAVID CARR
MAUREEN D. CLARKE
JOHN COX
SONIA M. DAGGER
PETER DANSON
JOHN H. FOSTER
JUDITH M. GARNER
JOHN HARDMAN
ANNIE L. HERRINGTON
BERYL HOGARTH
WILLIAM H. IDDON
E. M. KATHLEEN ISLES
VERA C. JONES
GEORGINA LONSDALE
T. FRANK MULLEN
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF
THE TWO TEACHERS,
THIRTY-EIGHT INFANT SCHOLARS
AND SEVEN CIVILIANS, WHO LOST
THEIR LIVES WHEN AN AMERICAN
LIBERATOR BOMBER CRASHED
DURING A THUNDER STORM
AND DESTROYED A PART OF
THE ADJOINING SCHOOL AND
OTHER PROPERTY ON
THE 23rd AUGUST 1944.
THIS MONUMENT
WAS ERECTED OVER THEIR GRAVE
BY PUBLIC SUBSCRIPTION.
"IN GOD WE TRUST"
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| The right wing |
SCHOLARS
GILLIAN PARKINSON
JUNE PARKINSON
GEORGE PRESTON
MICHAEL PROBERT
THAMAS RAWCLIFFE
A. MARGARET RAYTON
MALCOME SCOTT
JUNE STEWARTSON
DOROTHY SUDELL
JOHN SUDELL
JOSEPH THRELFALL
JOHN TOWNSEND
BARRIE B. TRUSCOTT
LILLIAN M. WAITE
SYLVIA A. WHYBROW
ALAN WILSON
WILLIAM B. WRIGHT
CIVILIANS
ALLAN WHITTLE
RACHEL WHITTLE
PEARL WHITTLE
J. VICTOR SILCOCK
KATHLEEN FORSHAW
EVELYN RHODES
GWENDOLINE E. M. FRANKEN
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| Chair facing the memorial. |
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| View from the rear. There is a path which goes round the whole churchyard This view faces toward Preston. |
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| View from the memorial facing Holy Trinity church. |
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| View from the road towards the church. The memorial is straight past the church against the back wall. |
I came to visit a few months ago and it is such a lovely place ,very touching and very well cared for.
ReplyDeleteOne of the deceased children Michael Probert used to live with his family in Salford near to my mother who was aged about 12 years. She used to ask his parents could she take him for a walk in his pram. she really adored him. He went to live in Freckleton to avoid the Salford/ Manchester blitz. My mother named me (Michael) after him.
ReplyDeleteMy brother Joe had just started school when he was killed. He died 2 days after the crash on the 25th August when my mother was heavily pregnant carrying me. My mother died on the 25th August many years later, mentioning in the morning that it was the anniversary of the crash. I don't think my parents ever got over it
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