Dedication Service
On February 12 2019, we held a Dedication Service to the new Memorial plaque.
A couple of dozen people were present at the end of Fell View, These included the Vicar, the Mayor, Clr Joyce, the Head of Barrow primary school, plaque maker, and the Chair & Secretary of Whalley Woodland Friends, along with many of the volunteers that help look after the Woodland.
We would like to thank Ribble Valley Council for funding the plaque
Charlie spelled out that when he became secretary, he took responsibility for making some commemoration, However this was delayed by important 'Balsam Bashing', to save the Woodland's future. His Balsam bashing mate suggested trying to find some old rail architecture to make a link.
Hence the discovery of the platform provided just what we wanted. Then we could use that to help people stop and think what it must have been like for all those soldiers. We want to collect stories that link the present with what happened there/then. We can use this site to collect these Connections
Terry (aka 'I have a dream'), Chair of Whalley Woodlands Friends, opened the Service explaining about the Woodland friends and how they started in 2008.
Alastair Nicholson- who made the plaque - thanked WEC Energy Group, Darwen, The Making rooms Blackburn, and Community Rail Lancashire who all went out of their way to help make this plaque.
Clifford Ball told us how during WW1, the RAMC (Royal Army Medical Corps) were having a night off, when a train pulled in with many wounded soldiers. A claxton was sounded that could be heard all over Whalley to alert RAMC people in pubs or digs - who all returned rapidly.
The Parish Vicar, Jonathan, said a few well chosen words, asking for a minute's silence to remember what happened all those years ago.
He went on to remind us that when the soldiers took off their muddy uniforms here, there maybe some bits of that soil now mixed up with local soil here. As a soil zoologist, that made quite an impression on me.
