A wreath was laid at the Accrington Pals Memorial on Church Street, Accrington, on Wednesday 1 July 2020 to commemorate the Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme, in the presence of a limited number of representatives from the Royal British Legion, The Mayor, Cllr June Harrison, the MP Sara Britcliffe and Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson OBE.

The Accrington Pals are interweaved into the very fabric of our local history, famously forming as they did a Pals battalion to fight in the First World War, with many men from this area answering Kitchener’s call and joining up.

But on 1 July 1916, on that fateful first day of the Battle of the Somme, they suffered severe losses and over 600 casualties, leaving the community back home shattered and hardly anyone untouched, with so many losing husbands, sons, brothers, uncles, friends and neighbours.

Council Leader, Cllr Miles Parkinson OBE, said; “In normal times a full service would take place at the Accrington Pals Memorial in Accrington. However this year,  due to Covid 19,  this obviously can’t take place, but the sentiment remains the same.  Instead we have simply laid a wreath to commemorate  the Anniversary of the Battle of the Somme and to remember in particular the 11th (Service Battalion) (Accrington) East Lancashire Regiment, known as the Accrington Pals, to commemorate their bravery and sacrifice. We will remember them.”

Social distancing rules were observed at all times.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]