ST JOHN'S Church has unique and historic links with the Pals because it was there that they held a valedictory service before marching to the railway station, watched by 16,000 people, to train for battle and eventually meet their grim fate when they were ordered "over the top" at Serre in Northern France in 1916.
The chapel was the idea of a former St John's vicar, the Rev Dennis Crook, who latched on to the words of noted Pals historian, the late Bill Turner, that Accrington had failed to commemorate its heroes.
A fund-raising appeal raised £30,000 and the chapel, designed by distinguished ecclesiastical architect Christopher Martindale, was dedicated by the Bishop of Blackburn in February 1992.
Right from the start the idea was that it belonged not just to the parish but to the community at large.
When the BBC's Songs of Praise programme was broadcast from the church on Remembrance Sunday 1991 it sparked a surge of interest which led to scores of people visiting the chapel to see the names of their loved ones in the Book of Remembrance.
The chapel contains many items of interest including a casket containing soil from the trenches, the regimental drum used as the troops marched through France and the famous Toc H lamp.
Every year, on the Sunday closest to 21 February, a solemn service is held in the chapel which serves as a moving and poignant reminder of our history. It is attended by around 500 people including the Mayor, Royal British Legion and Army personnel.
