Trustees

The Chorley Pals Memorial is a registered charity number 1121707 and was founded in 2007 by Sir Lindsay Hoyle MP and Steve Williams – both of whom have life membership of the Trust.

The charity is governed by seven Trustees with Sir Lindsay Hoyle acting as Chairman and Steve Williams as the Secretary.

The other members of the governing body are all local people:

Simon Robinson LLB

Is a Solicitor for Kevill’s in Chorley, Simon has been with the Trust from its launch in February 2007.

John M. Garwood

John Garwood

John was born in Lucknow, India in 1933 and came to England when he was four years old. He settled in Euxton after his father left the Army following 24 years service. John’s interest in the First World War began quite early when his father gave him a set of books called ‘War Illustrated’.

Married with four children and five grand-children, John lives in Heath Charnock near Chorley. An Engineer by trade, he served his time at Leyland Motors and did his National Service in the Army. After which he went to work at the R.O.F. in Euxton where he stayed until he retired in 1991.

In the early 1970s, John rekindled his interest in the Great War when reading a book called ‘The first day on the Somme’ by Martin Middlebrook. In it was the name R. Barrow who had served in the Accrington Pals and lived in Euxton. He was intrigued as to why a man from Euxton would have served in that Pals Battalion – had he moved from Accrington to Chorley? John eventually tracked down Richard Barrow and was firmly told that he was a “Chorley Pal”, a Company of the Accrington Battalion.

Over the next few years, John compiled as much information as possible on the Chorley men and published his findings in 1989 in a book entitled ‘Chorley Pals – a short history of the Company in the Great War, 1914 – 1919’; up-dated in 1992, it has sold some 2,000 copies.

Over the years John has given talks about the Chorley Pals to local groups and societies, and to the Western Front Association where he is a member of the Lancashire & Cheshire Branch. A regular visitor to the battlefields on the Western Front, in recent years he has walked the full length of the British trench line on the Somme.

Stephen Penlington BSc Econs (Hons), MBA

Stephen Penlington

Stephen is the Chief Executive of the Chorley Building Society.

He has a wealth of experience in financial services and has been in the Building Society movement ever since graduating from the University College of Wales in 1980 with a BSc Economics Honours degree.

A committed family man, Stephen is an avid reader, loves music, keep-fit and is a rugby enthusiast. He lives in Chorley and is also a Governor at Runshaw College and Chair of the Audit Committee.

Stuart Clewlow FRHS

Is a well know historian and author who lives in Chorley. Stuart is a Fellow of the Royal Historian Society and an avid collector of militaria; he regularly writes ‘Flashback’ articles for the Chorley Guardian newspaper.

Cllr. Beverley Murray