1 On All Saints’ Day on the 1st November, we went with Dr Breen to the Lancashire Archive to gather more information on the history of some Balshavians who served and died in the two world wars, and whose names we remember and sacrifices we honour with our acts of Remembrance. We were able to look at student admission registers for Balshaw’s from the early twentieth century, class form lists and used the website “Ancestry” to look at census and military records as well as the Commonwealth war grave commission which enabled us to cross reference the records to get a full picture of our Balshavians. We had great difficulties researching our William Rigby because there were 9 William Rigby’s from this area alone! We will carry on looking for him but today we will pray for them all.
2. Unlike William Rigby there was only one Matthew Whittaker and we found out that he died in the Battle of the Somme on September 26th 1916. He lived in Chorley and is commemorated at the cemetery there. William Southworth. AKA Willie Southworth, was born on the 1st January, 1896 in Longton but later lived in Farington but moved with his mum, Edith, and dad, Richard Southworth, to Rossington, Edmonton, Alberta in Canada some time before 1911. He had 6 siblings: four brothers and two sisters. He joined the 15th Battalion (48th Highlanders of Canada), but He Died on the 27th November 1916, aged just 20 and is buried at Villers Station Cemetery, Pas de Calais, in France. Percy Wignall was more difficult to find. This was because Percy is short for Percival and we discovered that Percy was more than likely his middle name! Gunner Thomas (Percy) Wignall. The Son of James and Elizabeth Wignall and husband of Maria Bretherton (formerly Wignall), lived at 7, Wheelton View, Leyland Lane, Leyland, Preston. He joined the 250th Siege Battery, Royal Garrison Artillery. He Died on the 11th December 1917 Aeroplane Cemetery in Belgium aged just 24.