THE pages of Cliviger’s history were opened at an exhibition in the village hall.

The Great War was the main feature of the looking back display, to mark its centenary and remember villagers who fought on the Front.

People including George Christian Haffner and William Clough were awarded the Military Medal and their stories were researched by proud family.

The exhibition was organised by Cliviger Archives Group, which was established five years year ago, to record and preserve the history of Cliviger.

It focused, too, on the people and times of the village, looking at three major aspects of life through the years – mining, weaving and farming.

Members have been working with youngsters at St John’s School on the World War One story and some of the pupils’ work was also on show.

The archives group, which is funded by Lancashire County Council, stages two exhibitions every year and is building up a photographic archive of the village.

It’s also carrying out film interviews with local personalities, such as Sir Simon Towneley, former lord Lieutenant of Lancashire, to document their memories.

A series of information boards are going up at various sites in the village – one in Mereclough documents the history of the old chapel and a second will be erected shortly at Walk Mill.

George Haffner, was the son of German-born George Haffner senior, who came to England in 1879 and became a British subject 17 years later, During this time he had opened a butcher’s shop in Yorkshire Street and is credited with introducing the sausage to the town.

When the First World War broke out, George junior served with the 5th Battalion, the East Lancashire Regiment. His two brothers also fought against the Germans.

George junior was born in 1889 and started work in the family butchers at the age of 14.

As well as the Military Medal, he was also awarded the Belgian Croix de Guerre in 1918.

Wounded twice, this photo (left) shows him with a wound stripe near his wrist. He called his home in Cliviger Krithia, after a battle of the same name in Gallipoli. He died in 1979, aged 92.

Gunner William Clough, who was also awarded a bar to his military medal was born at Holden Farm in Extwistle in 1889.

His father Thomas worked at Extwistle Hall as a farm hand and William joined him as a teenager, although he really wanted to join the army. When he went, underage at 17, in 1906, Thomas was able to buy him out, but William was persistent and joined again two years later.

When war was declared in 1914 William was serving with the Royal Horse and Royal Field Artillery and was one of the first to be shipped to France, taking part in the fighting at Mons.

He was thus able to call himself one of the ‘Old Contemptibles’.

In 1916 William was twice awarded the Military Medal, ‘for mending telephone wires under shell fire’.

He left the army in 1919, after serving for 10 years and joined the Metropolitan Police where he met and married Bertha.

Invalided out in 1925, he returned to Cliviger and lived in the Co-op Buildings and then Southward Bottom.

He had a horsedrawn fish cart, delivering fresh fish round the village every day.

William died in 1957, aged 68 and is buried in Cliviger churchyard.