Councillor Graham Ashworth, Chairman of Heath Charnock Parish Council (middle) presented the Award to John (left) and Stuart (right)
In 2019 the Parish Council decided to recognize the contribution of both John Garwood and Stuart Clewlow as two local military historians who helped the Parish Council to complete the Gateway Stone at Skew Bridge.
John lives in Heath Charnock. Stuart was born in Adlington and lives within Chorley District. Both are Trustees of Chorley Pals Memorial Trust. Stuart is also the Chairman of the Adlington & District Heritage Society. In 2018, John researched and compiled the list of 29 men from the Parish who lost their lives due to World War 1.
In 2019, Stuart followed a similar process to list the names of eight Parishioners who died due to their involvement in World War 2.
They compiled each list from various sources including local papers, census records, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), Lancashire Births, Marriage and Deaths Indexes, ancestry online, and information passed on directly. These 37 men were born or raised in Heath Charnock, and/or their address at death was in Heath Charnock Parish.
As a result the Parish Council now has its own place to pause and reflect as their names are now displayed on the plaque on the Parish Gateway Stone, as well as being listed on the Adlington and District War Memorial on Railway Road, Adlington.