Pages of handwritten notes made by a lady who saw her father go off to war have been donated to the Chorley Remembers project.

Elizabeth Alice Smith (nee Bowling) was just eight when her father, 38 year old John Bowling, left Chorley in 1916.

He came back a changed man – wounded and full of rheumatism.

Written in around 1981 (she died in 1988), the notes cover everything from life in Chorley during rationing, sending a parcel to her father at Christmas, to his return in 1919 when she wouldn’t kiss him because she didn’t recognise him.

Most telling is the comment “…he just wanted to forget which I didn’t think he ever did.”

The Chorley Remembers project intends to offer the story to local Schools, as well as trying to track down any relatives of Mrs Smith and Private Bowling.

Download the full story here.

Chorley Remembers commemorated the centenary of the start of the war in August 1914 with a an event held on Sunday 17th August 2014 attended by over 500 people.

Supported by Chorley Council, the WW1 Day took place in and around the Coach House on the Astley Hall complex in Chorley, and included new displays in the Chorley Remembrance Experience exhibition, static and video displays by the Chorley Pals Memorial and Chorley Remembers, the Chorley in The Great War group, the Museum of Lancashire and the British military vehicle modelling club.

Music was provided in the Walled Garden by the Chorley Air Cadets Ensemble who also performed a well-received ‘Last Post’ demonstration.

The Chorley Pals Memorial mascot ‘Charley Pal’ was out and about meeting visitors, as was a ‘Tommy’ – a member of the Museum of Lancashire staff dressed in replica WW1 uniform.

Food demonstrations were made by members of the Buckshaw Village Women’s Institute, who were also selling a variety of cakes and biscuits made to authentic recipes from the period.

The event was sponsored by the Chorley Building Society.

Wednesday 6th August sees a sponsored walk from the Drill Hall on Devonshire Road in Chorley to Fulwood Barracks in Preston.

The Chorley Terriers pictured in 1914

On that date, 100 years to the day, the ‘Chorley Terriers’ (D Company of the 1st / 4th Battalion [Territorial Force], Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) marched off to War.

Over £200 has already been raised by way of sponsorship for Chorley Remembers Project Manager Steve Williams to do the walk.

He will be accompanied on the ten mile walk by members of the Army Reserve detachment based in Chorley, other Trustees, local Councillors and some descendants / relatives of the 220 men.

Walkers will depart at 10.30 am and pause at the Chorley Cenotaph in Astley Park at around 10.45 am before continuing along the A6 to Preston via Bamber Bridge and Walton-le-Dale.

Back in 1914, the local paper recorded that relatives of the men walked with them until the Borough boundary at Whittle-le-Woods; several photographs of the men in the Drill Hall and walking along the road on the day are in the Chorley Remembers archive.

There will be an event commemorating the centenary of the start of the war in August 1914 in and around the Coach House on the Astley Hall complex in Chorley on Sunday 17th August from 11.00 am to 4.30 pm. 

Organised by Chorley Remembers and supported by Chorley Council, the WW1 Day will see new displays in the Chorley ‘Remembrance Experience’ exhibition, static and video displays by the Chorley Pals Memorial / Chorley Remembers, Chorley in The Great War group, Museum of Lancashire and the British military vehicle modelling club.

Music will be provided in the Walled Garden by the Chorley Air Cadets ensemble who will also do regular ‘Last Post’ demonstrations.

The Chorley Pals Memorial mascot ‘Charley Pal’ will make regular appearances throughout the day, alternating with ‘Meet a Tommy’ (Museum of Lancashire staff dressed in replica WW1 uniform).

Food demonstrations will be provided by members of the Buckshaw Village Women’s Institute who will be making cakes and biscuits from recipes from the period – admission is free.

The event is being sponsored by the Chorley Building Society.

Wednesday 6th August will see a walk from the Army Reserves Centre on Devonshire Road in Chorley to Fulwood Barracks in Preston – a total of 10 miles.

On the same date in 1914, the ‘Chorley Terriers’ (D Company, 1st / 4th [Territorial Force] Battalion, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment) marched from the Drill Hall on Devonshire Road in the town to Fulwood Barracks.

The Chorley Terriers pictured in 1914

The unit had been recalled from their annual camp in Kirby Lonsdale when war was declared on the 4th August 1914 and they were put on a war footing.

The unit of some 200 men marched along the A6 to Preston, and it was reported in the Chorley Guardian that many of their family members walked with them to the boundary at Whittle-le–Woods.

Chorley-based First World War historian and author Steve Williams is to replicate the walk as fundraiser for the Chorley Remembers project.

He will be joined by members of the Army Reserves unit based in Chorley (64 Medical Squadron, 3 Medical Regiment RAMC), a member of staff from the Museum of Lancashire in Preston who will be dressed in a WW1 ‘Tommy’ uniform, and Stuart Clewlow from the Chorley in The Great War group.

The walk is planned to start at 10.30am and finish around 2.30pm.

Steve did a similar walk for the Chorley Remembers project in August 2011 when he raised £600 doing a 16 mile walk from the Chorley Pals Memorial in Chorley to Accrington, the home of the ‘Accrington Pals’.

To sponsor Steve on his walk, you can download a sponsorship form from here or call 0845 467 1916.