NEW plans to commemorate the service and sacrifice of the Accrington Pals during the Battle of the Somme during the First World War have been revealed.

An application has been submitted to Hyndburn Council to erect a replica to a brick monument in Serre, France, the site of the battle of the Somme.

The project is a collaboration between Accrington and Rossendale College and the council and has already secured £10,000 of Heritage Lottery funding. Under the latest plans, which are due to be debated by councillors in the coming months, the structure will be built in Haworth Park and will replicate the structure in France.

If the application is approved the memorial will feature mounted plaques as a memorial to the 11th (Service) Battalion East Lancashire Regiment. More than 600 men from the Accrington Pals lost their lives the Battle of the Somme.

A Hyndburn Council spokesman said: “The monument will provide a lasting memorial to commemorate the centenary of the First World War and how this affected local lives. It will provide a link with the past and a link with the area where many lives were lost as this will be a replica of the monument in France.

“It will also provide an interesting feature within the grounds of Haworth Art Gallery for visitors.

“Interpretation signage will help to inform people of the history and significance of the monument. The proposed monument will be located within a wooded area of the park although no trees will be removed as part of this development.”

A small seat will be incorporated into the monument which is also included in the original. Haworth Park lies within the Christ Church Conservation Area, which covers an area of almost eight acres.

It is the former grounds of Hollins Hall which is now the Haworth Art Gallery.

Cllr Miles Parkinson, the council leader, said: “It’s about highlighting the links to the site in France which of course the mayoral party will be going to in 2016 to mark the 100 anniversary of the Battle of the Somme. Everybody wants to trace their family history and this is another way that people from the area can discover links to the past.”