AS the country prepares to mark the centenary of the day war was declared between Britain and Germany, we honour some of the East Lancashire men who answered the call to arms.

Each of them belonged to a family, they were a loved son, husband, brother or father who had little idea what faced them as they sailed for the western or eastern front, or the extremes they would have to endure.

Some made it home, but many did not and life was never quite the same again.

Father-of-three George Pearce, born in 1885 and an iron moulder, survived the war, fighting under a false name.

Married to Jane, he and his young family, lived in Park Road, Blackburn, all their lives.

When war broke out he went to enlist for the army with all the other young men of the time and at the recruiting office waited in line with one Elijah Cooke from Darwen.

George was rejected as he had suffered rheumatic fever as a child, but his new acquaintance was accepted.

Said his granddaughter, Mrs Noreen Fowler of Brindle: “When they came out Elijah had changed his mind and didn’t want to be a soldier, so there and then they changed identities and grandad went off to war as Elijah Cooke.

“He served a full seven years in the East Kent Regiment, which was known as the Buffs and grandma always said she had a dreadful time trying to claim an allowance as there was no George Pearce in the ranks.”

He served without injury throughout WWI and on completing his enlistment period was discharged and awarded his campaign medals, all with the name Elijah Cooke on the reverse.

“Grandma always had this portrait of him in his dress uniform on the wall.

“We tend to take things granted but I’ve come to realise what my grandma suffered in both world wars – her husband was fighting in WWI as she brought up three young children, then in the next war, two of those children served in the forces, George in the army and Harry in the navy.”

  •  A hundred years ago, there were some very large families, so it wasn’t unusual for four, five, or even six brothers to serve in the First World War And this was exactly the case with the Barnes family of Hodder Street, Accrington – whose six lads went off to fight for king and country.

They served in various regiments; there was Joe, in the Horse Artillery; Jim, a sergeant in the Welsh Guards; Arthur in the Australian Service Corps; Bob in the South Lancs; George in the Northumberland Fusiliers and Tom, who was the last to join up in 1918, in the Kings Liverpool.

Most of them served in France and a story which has been passed down in the family is that two of them were both gassed and ended up in the next bed to one another in hospital.

However, one was temporarily blinded and the other couldn’t speak, so neither realised until they recovered.

Arthur, was an artist and while he worked as a collier at Huncoat mine, used to do chalk drawings on the side of the pit trucks.

In 1909 he emigrated to Australia, but returned to England in 1915 with the service corps, and was posted to France.

He developed his talent amid the fighting and in 1916, he sent drawings, including a pen and ink sketch, of ‘John Bull’, to the journal of the same name.

The editor, however, returned it to the family address, with a letter saying, that despite their considerable merit: “Owing to the Government restriction on the import of paper and the consequent reduction in size of our issue, it is impossible for me to accept them.

Arthur was wounded the following year and suffered meningitis, but survived the war and was discharged in 1920.

He went back ‘down under’ and became a member of the Adelaide Artists club and staged shows of his work, dying in 1948.

His paintings are today available to buy on the internet.

  • Janice Crewdson, of Tockholes, remembers being on ‘parade’ with her grandfather Edgar Chadwick, of Nelson, who served in the East Lancashire Regiment during the First World War.

“We were taught how to march, ‘stand at ease’ and ‘present arms’ with a cricket bat; we had great times with a lovely grandad.”

Edgar of Napier Street, was awarded the Military Medal while serving in France for bravery and when he returned home, received a clock from st Paul’s Church in recognition of his bravery.

He was connected with the church all his life and In his younger days was a member of the choir.

Prior to be called up, Edgar played football for St Paul’s in the local Amateur League, but after being demobbed joined Blackburn Rovers.

He was transferred to Nelson in the 1920s when the club was at its peak.

He also cricket for Nelson at the age of 15 in 1913 and later went on to be an umpire.

During the Second World War Edgar was an ARP warden and here he is pictured on the right, with a local young soldier.

  • Blackburn weaver John Harrison was a fit young man in his mid twenties when he completed his basic training.

But he refused the invitation to stay on at the training camp as an instructor and went off to fight with his mates.

Serving with the 1st Battalion East Lancashire Regiment, he lost his life towards the end of the Battle of the Somme, on October 18, 1916, one of the 1.25 million men on all sides, who were killed as it raged.

John, who lived with his wife Alice in Poplar Street, has no known grave, so his name is commemorated at Thiepval – one of nearly 73,000 British soldiers who are remembered there.

He worked at Brookhouse Mill and attended St John’s Church, where he was the bell ringer.

His daughter Clara never knew her father. He came home on leave after she was born in June 1916, but was never seen again.

John’s grandson, Russell Davies said: “Over the years I have searched for the battle area where he was killed and still lies and found it 18months ago just below Le Transloy Ridge, Somme.

“It was very emotional and very sad, I will never forget him as long as I live.”

  • Another victim of the Somme was 21-year-old Private Thomas Noone, who was listed missing on July 24, 1916, just five months after his arrival in France.

He served with the 20th Battalion of the Lancashire Fusiliers and his name is also on the Thiepval Memorial.

Thomas was the eldest son of Martin and Margaret Noone of Clarkhill Street, Blackburn, and he was a weaver at India Mill.

His father, a Pioneer had been in France since 1915.