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Follow us on Twitter
You can now follow the Friends of Darwen Cemetery on Twitter
@darwencemetery
To read our 2013 AGM Chairmans Report and the Minutes of our General Meeting, held on the 24th April 2013
Click here.
Our 2nd 70's 80's Disco Night
After our 1st 70's 80's night Iin 2011, Brian has agreed to host another, on Saturday 6th June 2013
Our last 70's 80's night was so popular we ran out of places, we also managed to raise £320.00 on the night, so this year we have changed the venue to Bridge Street Sports & Scocial Club, formerly the ICI Club.
Tickets are £5.00 each and include a Potato Pie Supper.
Tickets are available either by ringing Diane on 07753 902649 or calling in to Audiotec, 193, Duckworth Street, Darwen.
Get your tickets early to avoid disappointment.
FODC May 2013
FODC Collects a Cheque from the last meeting of Darwen Civic Society
The Friends of Darwen Cemetery were one of several local voluntary groups who received cheques at the final winding up of Darwen Civic Society after 50 years.
Diane Davies received a cheque for £250.00 from the Civic Society chairman
Sally Haworth.
The occasion also marked the launch of the Friends of Darwen Library's book on the life and times of Darwen artist James H Morton who was killed in the closing days of the Great War.
The book was edited by Harold Heys who is also pictured.
FODC April 2013
Lieutenant George Robert Craig M.C.
44 Squadron
George Robert Craig MC, was born in Co. Durham and was the son of a Darwen doctor. I am sure the family home was up Whitehall Road. He was educated at Haileybury and joined the Lancashire Fusiliers' Public Schools' battalion soon after war broke out and when he was barely 17.
The following year he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the East Lancashire Regiment.
He was awarded the Military Cross for conspicuous gallantry in France in June 1916. George Craig was later seconded to the Royal Flying Corps and it was while practising manoeuvres in a Sopwith Camel above Ilford in Essex that he was killed in August 1917.
He was just 19 year.jpg?880)
s old.
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The Sopwith Camel was very difficult to fly. It was so called because of a hump shape behind the propellor. It had a nasty habit of suddenly stalling and it was probably this that led to Craig's death.
For the full story click on the below link
Link to G.R. Craig (External Website)
For a copy of our FODC War Grave sheet on G.R. Craig click on the below link
Link to G.R. Craig DocumentTo go direct to our War Grave Page click on the below link
War Graves Page
Thank you to Peter Craig and Harold Heys
FODC February 2013
2013 Working Party Dates Released
Click on this link2013 Public Meetings Dates Released
Click on this link
Our first Working Party Cancelled
Our very first working party of 2013 on the 26th January was cancelled due to eight inches of snow that fell overnight.
All the best plans for our first working party went out the window, we were due to receive a large skip allowing us to remove many of the Rhododendron roots and branches that were dug out before Christmas, but due to the vast amount of snow that fell overnight that it made it imposible for the skip to be delivered.
Also with that amount of snow we would of found it very hard to find the roots to put in the skip.
The snow was that heavy on the trees that the shear weight had up rooted one tree between section F and section D2 at the top end of the cemetery.
As the tree fell it caught another tree breaking it in half.
FODC January 2013
Martha out in the cold
The memorial grave statue to Martha Jane Bury looks forlorn as winter sets in making the cemetery a cold but spectacular place to view the surrounding vistas of Darwen.
FODC January 2013
Poppy setting a bench mark
Poppy sat in the winter wonderland of Darwen Western Cemetery.
The bench made from old disused grave lintels makes the perfect rest for the Chairman's daughters Shih Tzu pet on a stroll around the cemetery.
FODC January 2013
Section B to be Completed
During January work is taking place to complete
the re-erection of the headstones in
Section B, which we started back in 2011 around the area of the first burial in time
for the 150th celebrations of the opening of
the Cemetery.
The work is being undertaken by Brent Stevenson Memorials, unfortunately the weather was not ideal.
FODC January 2013
War Grave wreath presentation in Darwen Cemetery
Nicola Jackson who is a nurse in Sidney, Australia, laid a wreath to Australian solider Alfred Ward during the Christmas Holidays at Darwen Western Cemetery.
Nicola, daughter of Rosemary Jackson, Secretary of FODC is one of the furthest Friends and has completed much research on the grave in Darwen.
Students from Blackburn College along with volunteers from supported accommodation came together with Groundwork Pennine Lancashire’s Youth Team to create Christmas wreaths, grave pots and table decorations as part of the Community Space Challenge Programme which is funded by the National Lottery & managed through Catch 22. The volunteers made over 30 decorations which were donated to a number of Care homes, DACA's Senior Citizens Party & The Friends of Darwen Cemetery.
John East, Chairman said, "It is wonderful to remember the War dead, especially with a casualty who is buried so far away from home. Nicola has researched the solider and help to transcribe many of the old cemetery records as a friend of the cemetery group. With help from Groundwork we were able to remember many of the 90 war dead buried in the Western Cemetery."
Picture has Nicola Jackson (knelt and Karen Marsden and Deborah Robinson from Groundwork laying the wreath at the war grave in Darwen Cemetery.
FODC December 2012
Gift Aid
If you wish to donate to the Friends of Darwen Cemetery and you pay Tax, pleace click on the image and fill in the details required and email it to info@darwencemetery.org.uk or you can print out the document and send it in the post to:
Friends of Darwen Cemetery C/O 60, East Park Avenue, Darwen BB3 2SQ
FODC December 2012
Darwen Days website
Darwen Days have changed its website address (click on the Link below)
Darwen Days now has a website showing 1000s of Photographs of Darwen, many old but some more recent, they also include many photographs of the Cemetery.
Click on the link to go direct to the website.
www.darwendays.co.uk
FODC Updated December 2012 
