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.

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.

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.

Details will be published in early September.

Brindle Historical Society - now on Facebook!

Brindle Historical Society has today launched a new Facebook page!

It features all of the latest news from the Society, and allows people who “Like” our page to join in with discussions, post pictures, links and video and comment on news items and posts.

We’ve also added a Facebook “Like” button to every page and news item on this site which allows Facebook users to quickly show that they like an item and share it with friends.

Our Secretary Steve Williams has recently joined Facebook, and is an ‘Admin’ of the new page. After becoming a fan of our page, perhaps find him and “add him as a friend”!

Our Facebook page is here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brindle-Historical-Society/195641518520

Visitors taking a look at the photographs on show at the recent 'Images of Brindle' exhibition

Over 130 people attended the two date exhibition in Brindle Community Hall during late June.

It featured over 100 images of the village, ranging from original paintings to prints and photographs; there was also work by local schoolchildren.

The Society are looking to stage a similar event in either 2011 or 2012 entitled ‘Faces of Brindle’, featuring people from the village over the years.

The coach party from Brindle at Fountains Abbey

A full report on the day trip to Fountains Abbey and Ripon is now on our features page.

28 members and guests spent an enjoyable day looking around the 800 acre site which includes the 13th century Abbey and the Studley Royal Water Gardens.

You can read the review here.

Brindlers on the Cavendish Arms coach trip in 1956... do you know who they are?!

One of our members, Eileen Banister, has donated a photograph from 1956 of men from the Cavendish Arms in the village on their annual coach trip.

If you can identify any of the men in the picture do get in touch.

Ralph Power served as a soldier during World War II

We are grateful to Margaret Nichols, the niece of the late Ralph Power (a Life Member of the Society) for loaning us some of Ralph’s military memorabilia which includes his medals, pay book and identity tags.

They give some insight into his service during the Second World War which saw Ralph land on the Normandy Beaches in June 1944 and cross the Rhine into Germany during the Spring of 1945.

Full details will appear on our sister site, www.brindle-at-war.net.

Details, including an entry form, of this well established event can be found on www.brindlecommunityhall.co.uk/calendar.htm.

We would welcome any photographs, certificates, medals, etc. from the show over the years (please contact the Secretary).