Roll of Honour
There was no shortage of volunteers for the front from the cotton workers of Lancashire in the First World War. Almost one third of all enlisted men were from the cotton industry. Despite this the mills continued to run throughout the war and profits reached record levels. Women replaced men in spinning and weaving and exemptions from military service were obtained for overlookers and married spinners and piecers. During the Second World War a Cotton Controller was appointed by the Ministry of Supply to regulate the industry and ensure that supplies were maintained. Mills providing cloth for military purposes had a prior claim on supplies of raw cotton. Labour shortages were made up by employing married women and retired men on a part-time and evening basis. Rolls of Honour are generally records of servicemen and women and in many cases, civilians who have died as a result of conflicts throughout the World. They can be produced by a variety of organisations both military and non-military to honour their members who died in Wars or in the line of duty. Apart from the military aspect, rolls of honour can also be lists of names of academics, sports people, civic dignitaries and others who have achieved greatness in their profession or held office within an organisation. Blackburn and Darwen rolls of honour are listed here. It is hoped that the digitised information contained on these pages will be expanded and added to in coming years from the Blackburn and Darwen archives. The Darwen News for August 14th 1920 gives a full list of Darwen prisoners of war.
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