Harold Baxendale served in the Royal Navy during World War 2

Harold Baxendale, the author of the 1992 book ‘Brindle As I Remember It’ died in a nursing home in Scotland on Monday, 30th August after a prolonged illness.

The cover of the book 'Brindle As I Remember It" by Harold Baxendale

He was born at Church View in Brindle on the 13th August 1923, opposite the church, and next to the Cavendish Arms public house that his family ran for many years pre and post the Second World War.

Harold attended the Parochial School in the village and served in the Royal Navy from 1942 to 1946, spending time in America and Iceland before seeing service on Minesweepers in the North Sea.

After the war he became a Local Government Officer, finishing his career in Scotland.

Our condolences go out to his family in Brindle and Scotland.

Despite being part of the Borough of Chorley there has never been a direct bus link to the town centre.

From Tuesday, 31st August a bus will run from the village centre at 9.30 a.m. via Gregson Lane, Hoghton, Riley Green and Withnell Fold to Chorley, enabling people to spend three hours there on market day.

However, it will only run on a Tuesday and for a trial period of three months.

Everyone is welcome to the ‘film night’ at our next meeting on Monday, 27th September.

There are numerous films of village life going back to 1965 – Church Rose Queen, Flower Festivals, Millennium Exhibitions plus clips from Granada TV and BBC North West Tonight.

We’ll be uploading many of the videos to our new YouTube channel, which will be launched shortly after the meeting.

The Executive Committee are meeting shortly to finalise the programme of talks, visits and events from March 2011 until our AGM in February 2012.

Details will be published in early September.

Whilst we welcome general questions and enquiries about Brindle, the Society is not in a position to do research or supply information about specific families or individuals.

Members have access to our archive but they do not contain census records nor lists of baptisms, marriages or burials at the two churches in the village.

May we suggest that enquiries be made to Chorley Library (Community History Section) and to the Lancashire Record Office in Preston, or visit Internet sites such as Lancashire BMD or www.ancestry.co.uk