Bleasdale Parish Hall, Bleasdale Estate. PR3 1UY
Inside the Parish Hall is a wooden Memorial Plaque which lists the names of the fallen from Bleasdale, and also those men who served. The names on the plaque are the same as those on the memorial in St. Eadmer’s Church, and their information is below.
St. Eadmer’s Church, Bleasdale Estate. PR3 1UY
The first record of a church at this location is of ‘Eadmor’s Chapel’ which first appeared on a map of Lancashire in 1598.
The present church was was rebuilt in 1835 by John Dewhurst, and was restored and enlarged in 1897.
Inside the church is a carved wooden panel which bears the names of the Bleasdale fallen from WW1.
Those named on the memorial are:
John Bourn
Lieutenant. 1st Battalion North Staffordshire Regiment
John was born on 4th July 1892, in Bleasdale, the son of John and Margaret Bourn of Crow Trees, Bleasdale.
He joined the Manchester University Officer Training Corps and was commissioned in 1915. He was promoted to Lieutenant on 17th April 1916.
John was killed in action during the 3rd Battle of Ypres on 31st July 1917. He was 25.
He is one of the many with no known grave. He is remembered on the Menin Gate Memorial at Ypres, Belgium.
George Thomas Brewer
Driver 30470. 11th Battery, 3rd Brigade, New Zealand Field Artillery.
George was born on 22nd August 1882 in Wyresdale. He was the son of Richard and Alice Brewer of Lower Fairsnape, Bleasdale.
He emigrated to New Zealand sometime between 1901 and 1915, where he enlisted on 21st August 1916.
George was killed in action on 5th April 1918, during action on the Somme. He was 36.
He is buried at Force Ville Communal Cemetery & Extension, Somme, France.
John Cragg
Lance Corporal 19002. 1st Division Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
John was born in Caton, near Lancaster in 1893, the son of William and Mary Cragg of 14 Gregson Road, Lancaster.
He later worked as a farm servant in Lower Gore, Bleasdale.
John enlisted in 1914 at Bowgreave, Garstang.
He was killed in action on 15th July 1916 during the attack on Bazentin le Petit Wood on the Somme. He was 23.
John is buried at Flatiron Copse Cemetery, Somme, France.
Lucien Farrar
Private 19005. 1st/4th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Lucien was born in 1897, the son of William and Eleanor Farrar.
He enlisted in 1914 at Bowgreave, Garstang, in the 1st Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
Lucien was wounded twice during his service, the first time at Loos on 25th September 1915, and the second time on the Somme on 14th July 1916. He was then transferred to the 1st/4th Battalion of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment.
He was taken prisoner some time after his transfer and sent to a Prisoner of War camp in Cologne, Germany, where he died of his wounds on 13th January 1918. He was 21.
Lucien is buried at Cologne Southern Cemetery, Cologne, Germany.
Herman Fletcher
2nd Lieutenant. 7th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Herman was born in Eccles near Manchester in 1891, the son of Richard and Mary Fletcher of The Polygon, Eccles.
Prior to the war he was employed at Messrs Jacksons paper makers at Oakenclough, Lancashire.
He attended Manchester Grammar School and enlisted in the 20th Battalion Royal Fusiliers (Public Schools) Battalion in 1914 as Private 4828. He was commissioned as 2nd Lieutenant in October 1916 and posted to the 7th Battalion of the North Lancashire Regiment.
Herman was killed in action on 13th November 1916 during the Battle of the Ancre. He was 25.
Herman is one of the many who have no known grave. He is remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.
John Harrison
Private. 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Division – US Army
John Harrison was born in 1892, the son of Cuthbert and Alice Harrison. Sometime after 1911, the family moved from Crook Lane End Farm, Goosnargh to Bailey Hey Farm. John left England, probably in July 1912, to start a new life in the United States of America.
John enlisted for service in South Dakota, in the American Expeditionary Force in 1917.
He was killed in action in France on 25th October 1918. He was 26.
John is one of the many with no known grave. He is remembered on the Memorial to the Missing at Meuse-Argonne American Cemetery
Thomas Patrick Longworth
Sapper 66057. 106th Field Company, The Royal Engineers
Thomas enlisted on 26th January 1915 and was sent to the Western Front on 26th September 1915.
He spent two periods of home leave in 1916 and 1917, before returning to the Western Front in June 1917.
He was killed in action on 9th April 1918 in the River Lys Valley near to Bethune.
Thomas is one of the many who have no known grave. He is remembered on the Tyne Cot Memorial near Zonnebeke.
He is also remembered on the Garstang and Calder Vale War Memorials.
Henry Malley
Corporal 12175. 50th Battalion Machine Gun Corps
Henry was born in 1894 at Bleasdale, the son of William and Jane Malley of Sunny View, Oakenclough, Lancashire.
He enlisted at Garstang as Private 21514 of the Loyal North Lancashire Regiment, and later transferred to the Machine Gun Corps.
Henry was killed in action on 22nd March 1918 in the Somme area. He was 24.
He is one of the many who have no known grave. He is commemorated on the Pozieres Memorial, Somme, France.
James Mason
Private 34652. 3rd Battalion Kings Own Royal Lancaster Regiment.
James was born in Caton near Lancaster in 1895, the son of James and Isabella Mason of The Old Post Office, Caton.
He was employed as a farm worker prior to the war, and enlisted at Preston.
James died of illness while training in Plymouth on 24th October 1917. He was 22.
He is buried at St. Paul’s Churchyard in Caton.
John Shaw
Private 19003. Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
John was born at Hornby in Lancashire in 1894, the son of Robert and Ann Shaw of Melling.
He worked as a farm servant for a Mr Brewer in Bleasdale prior to the war.
John enlisted at Garstang in 1914.
He was reported missing, presumed killed on 18th August 1916 following an attack on High Wood, on the Somme, France.
He was 22.
John is one of the many with no known grave. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial, Somme, France.
William Henry Smith
Private 280937. 2nd/7th Battalion Lancashire Fusiliers
William was born in 1893, the son of James and Grace Smith, who farmed in Goosnargh, on the edge of Bleasdale Parish.
He joined the Lancashire Fusiliers in September 1914. He was medically discharged suffering from T.B. in November 1918.
William died of TB at Stretford on 7th April 1919. He was 25.
He is buried at Manchester Southern Cemetery.
William Wills
Lance Corporal 443340. 3rd Battalion Canadian Pioneers
William was born in 1886 in Dalton in Furness. The family later lived in Hazelhurst, Bleasdale.
He later emigrated to Canada where he enlisted in August 1915.
William suffered wounds in both his legs in September 1916, and was evacuated to a military hospital in Leeds where his left leg was amputated. He did not recover from his wounds and died on 20th January 1917. He was 31.
He is buried in the graveyard of St. Eadmer’s Church, Bleasdale.
Ernest Leo Winder
Private 27416. 6th Battalion Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Ernest was born in 1896, the son of Ellen Winder of Blindhurst, Bleasdale.
He died on 20th November 1918, it is believed during fighting in Mesopotamia (now Iraq). He was 23.
Ernest is commemorated on the Kirkee Memorial in India.
Roger Yates
Private 15295. 2nd Battalion Scots Guards
Roger was born in Bleasdale in 1893, the son of John and Elizabeth Yates of Holme House, Bleasdale.
He enlisted at Lancaster.
Roger was killed in action on 9th March 1917 during the many battles on the Somme. He was 24.
He is buried at Sailly-Sallisel British Cemetery, Somme, France.
From WW2:
Ernest Spence – information on the Garstang War Memorial
Air Crashes Memorial, Bleasdale Fell
On Bleasdale Fell is a memorial to the men from the Royal Air Force, the US Air Force, and the Polish Air Force who died in air crashes at Bleasdale, Longridge Fell, Stakehouse Fell and Inglewhite during and after WW2.
Donald Llewellyn Edmonds
Flight Sergeant 1416740. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
Donald Llewellyn Edmonds was born in Cardiff in 1923.
He was killed when his plane crashed on Bleasdale Fell on 10th August 1944. He was 21.
The plane, a Bristol Blenheim Mk V BA246 was on a night training flight from RAF Woodvale, near Stockport, in bad weather, when it crashed around midnight.
Donald is buried at Cardiff Western Cemetery, Wales.
James Cartmell Stones
Flight Sergeant 591474. Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve
James Cartmell Stones was born in Blackburn in 1921.
He was killed when his plane crashed on Bleasdale Fell on 10th August 1944. He was 22.
The plane, a Bristol Blenheim Mk V BA246 was on a night training flight from RAF Woodvale, near Stockport, in bad weather, when it crashed around midnight.
James is buried at St. Mary’s church at Mellor, near Blackburn, Lancashire.
Charles William Haythornthwaite
Flying Officer 50111. Royal Air Force
Charles William Haythornthwaite was born in Clitheroe in 1920.
He was piloting a North American Mustang 1 AG443 aircraft when it crashed on Longridge Fell on 17th August 1944.
Charles was killed in the crash. He was 24.
He is buried at Mellor Methodist Chapel, Mellor, Lancashire.
Stake House Fell air crash
On 17th January 1949 a Douglas C 54G 45-543 crashed at Stake House Fell. All on board were killed.
All those on board were from 14th Squadron TCS (H) 61st Troop Carrier Group, CALTF, USAFE
The plane had taken off from Rhein Main AFB in Frankfurt, bound for RAF Burtonwood near Warrington at 1312 hours on 7th January 1949. It was carrying a cargo which included a number of aircraft engines which were to undergo major overhauls at Burtonwood. The plane itself was travelling to Burtonwood for a 200 hour service.
At 1638 hours the pilot reported he was 2 minutes flying time from Burtonwood at 2200 feet. Then he reported he was now “completely VFR (Visual Flight Rules) at 1700 feet”
At 1642 hours Burtonwood tower replied to give clearance to land, and inform the pilot of local weather conditions but there was no reply from the plane. Several witnesses on the ground in the area around Stake House Fell gave evidence of the plane flying overhead at a very low altitude, and that it was cloudy and raining at the time.
It was later discovered that a strong BBC Radio Station located north of Burtonwood could affect the radio compass when it was properly tuned to the Burtonwood Radio Range Radio frequency. When the range station had been passed the pointer of the radio compass would continue to indicate that the station was further north.
Although it was unable to determine the exact cause of the crash, the Accident Board was of the opinion that it was caused by the pilot letting down to an unsafe altitude without being certain of his exact position.
The radio frequency for Burtonwood was later changed to avoid any other radio interference.
Those who lost their lives were:
Richard Melvin Wurgel (Pilot)
1st Lieutenant. United States Air Force
Richard was born on 18th July 1922 in New Jersey, USA.
At the time of his death he was 27.
He is buried at Arlington National Cemetery, Washington, USA
Lowell Adair Wheaton (Co-Pilot)
1st Lieutenant. United States Air Force
Lowell was born on 21st January 1923 in Galveston County, Texas, USA.
At the time of his death he was 25.
He is buried at Seaside Memorial Park, Corpus Christi, Nueces County, Texas, USA.
Bernard J Watkins (Flight Engineer)
Sergeant. United States Air Force
Bernard was born on 27th August 1922.
At the time of his death he was 26.
He is buried at Salem Cemetery, Attica, Fountain County, Indiana, USA
Norbert Theis (Radio Operator)
Corporal. United States Air Force
Norbert was born on 9th April 1928.
At the time of his death he was 20.
He is buried at St. Leo Catholic Cemetery, Kingman County, Kansas, USA.
William Albert Rathgeber (Passenger)
Captain. United States Air Force
William was born on 5th April 1919.
At the time of his death he was 30.
He is buried at Lincoln Memorial Park, Multnomah County, Oregon, USA.
Ronald E Stone (Passenger)
Private. United States Air Force
Ronald was born on 6th December 1929.
At the time of his death he was 29.
He is buried at Machpelah Cemetery, Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky.
Inglewhite Fell air crash
Romuald Stefan Zywicki
Sergeant 705756. 61 O.T.U Polish Air Force
Romuald Stefan Zywicki was born in Poland on the 20th July 1913.
On 15th April 1945 he was piloting a Mustang SR 434 when it crashed on Inglewhite Fell.
As a result of the crash Sergeant Zywicki was killed. He was 32.
He is buried at Layton Cemetery, near Blackpool, Lancashire.