Nether Kellet
Lancashire

Nether Kellet is set in rolling limestone pasture; to the east are extensive limestone quarries. From the higher parts of the village there is a view westwards over Morecambe Bay to the mountains of the Lake District.

Inside the Church of St. Mark, on the north wall, there is a memorial to the men of the village who served in both World Wars. It is of dark oak, 31 inches by 14 inches, the inscription being written in black ink or paint.

FOR KING & COUNTRY
ROLL OF
HONOUR

1914 - 1918

C. BIBBY      J. LYTHAM
J. BIBBY      C. ORR
W. BIRTLE      J. POLLOCK
E. BRADSHAW      G. POLLOCK
B. CORLESS      C. ROBINSON
W. COURT      R.H. ROBINSON
C. CROSSLEY      H. ROBINSON
G.E. HARRISON      A. ROBINSON
J.T. HARRISON      W. STOTT
W. JACKSON DCM      J. STANDEN
W.E. HARRISON

1939 - 1945

16 Names of Men who Served

There is also a "Peace Stone" commemorating the end of the Second World War. This is in an inconspicuous position amongst trees and bushes at the edge of the village playground/sports field, at grid reference SD 5047 6801. The Peace Stone is about the size and shape of an Ordnance Survey trigonometrical column ("Trig Point") and was placed near a tree which was planted to celebrate the end of W.W.2. Later the Peace Stone was moved from near the tree to its present position. It has a plaque with the following  inscription:-

THIS TRIBUTE
TO A LASTING PEACE
WAS PLANTED
BY T.C. BUTLER-COLE, ESQ
OF TUNSTALL HOUSE
AND
MRS S.T. WHALAN OF THIS VILLAGE
AT
THE NETHER KELLET PEACE CELEBRATIONS
ON THE 8th SEPT 1945
TO COMMEMORATE THE CESSATION OF
HOSTILITIES IN THE 2nd WORLD WAR
3rd SEPT 1939 - 15 Aug 1945


There is some discussion in the village that the Peace Stone should be moved to a more suitable location.

With thanks to Ivor Holden for information about the church memorial. Ivor is the great-grandson of Sgt. Walter Jackson DCM, named there. The citation for this award in the London Gazette says "He carried out many daring patrols. Under heavy shell and machine gun fire he has shown great coolness in sending back valuable information. During the whole time his unit has been in France he has trained the sniping and scouting section, and maintained a high level of efficiency".

The question has been asked - Did the men from the Thankful  Villages serve in quiet parts of the World away from the battlefronts, so avoiding casualties? It is answered here, and in other Thankful Villages such as Maplebeck and Catwick, with a definite "NO".

Text and photos - Norman Thorpe

Click here to return to the main Thankful Village listing