Kirkham Catholic church

As you drive from Blackpool to Preston along Preston New Road, there is a turn at a roundabout to Kirkham. On your left is Kirkham Grammar School, then there is the Catholic church. There is a memorial by the church and across the road is a nother graveyard with servicemen's memorial stones. There is also an imposing cross which seems to be dedicated to one of the former incumbents.

The church of St John the evangelist is a design by Pugin, a grade 2 listed building and was erected in 1845. Formally known as the Willows. The church has a good website - loads of good info here. It will certainly fill in information about the names I have highlighted.

View of the church from the road to Kirkham town centre

PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF
REV, THOS. GILLOW M.P. OF NORTH SHIELDS
WHO DIED MAR 19 1857 AGE 88 ALSO FOR
HIS BROTHER WILLIAM GILLOW. ESQ. DIED
JUNE 8 1852 AGE 70 & FOR MARY HIS WIFE
DIED FEB 15 1842 AGED 65. BOTH LIE BURIED
IN THE OLD CHAPEL YARD. ALSO FOR REV ?
CAM GILLOW OF NORTH SHIELDS. DIED. DIED ?
18 1853. AGED 42. AND THOMAS GILLOW ESQ.
OF FOXCOTE Co WARWICK. DIED MAY ? ?70
AGED 60
WILLIAM GILLOW J.P. OF LILYSTONE HALL
ESSEX DIED MAY 18 1893 AGED 76
AND WAS THERE INTERRED UNDER THE
WALLS OF THE DOMESTIC CHAPEL.
jOHN FRANCIS GILLOW OF LILYSTONE HALL
DIED APRIL 17 1894 AGED 72 AND WAS
LIKEWISE INTERRED.

The memorial. This is just visible in the top picture
to the left of the tower

ERECTED TO THE MEMORY OF THE MEN OF THIS
PARISH WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR THEIR
COUNTRY IN THE GREAT WAR 1914-1919
PRAY FOR THEIR SOULS
RICHARD ANDERTON
WILLIAM BILSBORROW
JOHN BRENNAN
EDWARD BROWN
THOMAS IRELAND
MICHAEL JUDGE
DAVID LARMOUR
JAMES LAURENSON
MICHAEL LIVINGSTONE
JAMES McCALL
JAMES McCANN
JOHN MAGUIRE
THOMAS McSPIRITS
THOMAS MATTHEWS
JAMES REYNOLDS
JOHN RICHARDSON
CHARLES ROBERTS
JOHN SINGLETON
FREDERICK SMITH
WILLIAM WILCOCK

The names are getting difficult to read at the bottom of the memorial. The letters are in lead.
They seem to have faded, thinned out and become less legible.

 

From a little further away.
This is from the direction of the road.

AND ALSO FOR THOSE WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES
IN THE GREAT WAR 1939 - 1945. MAY THEY REST IN PEACE

JOHN DIXON
ROBERT FENTON
WILLIAM JAS. GALLAGHER
JOHN LIVINGSTONE
WILLIAM SANDFORD
LOUIS WESTHEAD

This is a view from the graveyard across the road.
the cross is in the foreground, on a raised circular plinth
The church is in the distance but over the road.

 

 

Feel that there must have been a cross at the top of the column.
the pieces that are lying around would be the cross

The opposite side of the cross.

ABATE PRO ANIMAEUS
REV. T. BILLINGTON
ET PRO ??? OURUM
JESUS RT OMNIUM FIDELIUM
??HOC CEMETERIO REQUIESCUNT


Tricky translation, Seems to say, please correct me because some of the letters are damaged, disappeared or illegible,

"PRAY FOR THE SOUL OF REV T. BILLINGTON
AND FOR JESUS AND ALL THE FAITHFUL THAT ARE  BURIED IN THIS CEMETERY"

I think that is a fair translation.

The servicemen’s graves are in different places in the graveyard.
There is not a designated area

9641 PRIVATE
MICHAEL JUDGE
MANCHESTER REGIMENT
7TH OCTBER 1917 AGE 29

204586 PRIVATE
WILIAM TINSLEY
SOUTH LANCASHIRE REGIMENT
19TH OCTOBER 1918

539785 FLIGHT SERGEANT
G. A. DAVIES
ROYAL AIR FORCE
18TH MAY 1955 AGE 46
(Will do more research)

716046 CORPORAL
W. COSBERT
ROYAL AIR FORCE
? 9 FEBRUARY 1948 AGE 30

1496400 AIRCRAFTMAN 2ND CLASS
J(JAMES) LYDEN
ROYAL AIR FORCE
30 DECEMBER 1941 AGE 21

1459240 AIRCRAFTMAN 1ST CLASS
A.J.W.BRINKHURST
ROYAL AIR FORCE
3RD SEPTEMBER 1944 AGE 21

There are only 4 graves listed on the CWG website for the Willows. There are 2 others that I will do some research on.