Remembrance Week: Oliver Ryan MP – Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield
Ordinarily, I use this column to update you on what I've been up to in Parliament and at home here in Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield, but this week, I want to take a moment to reflect on remembrance.
On the millions of men and women who have given their lives for this country, and those who continue to serve. Our veterans, our military families, our auxiliary forces, reservists, and cadets. We remember and reflect on their sacrifice, their service, their bravery and valour, in protecting our communities, our democracy, and way of life.
I'll be laying a wreath at the Peace Garden in Burnley on Sunday and at Padiham, Worsthorne, Hapton, and Brierfield. In the case of services being at the same time, wreaths will be laid on my behalf by community volunteers.
I was also proud to place a cross in the Parliamentary Remembrance Garden this week, for Burnley, Padiham and Brierfield - in memory of our fallen, on this, the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in 1945.
Burnley played a proud and vital role in both World Wars. During the First World War, more than 4,000 local men lost their lives – around 15 per cent of Burnley’s working-age male population at the time. Mills that once powered the textile trade turned to producing uniforms, tents, and munitions. Women entered the factories in their thousands, keeping the town’s industry running while also supporting the war effort.
By the Second World War, Burnley had become home to “shadow factories” that built critical aircraft parts and engine components. The town hosted one of Britain’s largest magnesium works, key to producing wartime alloys, and nearby hills were used as decoy sites to draw enemy bombers away from urban centres. Across Padiham and Brierfield, residents took in evacuees from cities and served as Home Guard volunteers. Many of the names etched on our memorials are those of people who lived, worked, and raised families right here.
Remembrance is not an occasion for politics. It is a time to pause, to honour, and to promise that the lessons of the past will never be forgotten. So this week, wear your poppy with pride. When we say “never forget,” let us all mean it.
As ever, if you ever need anything, please do contact me at [email protected], or call 01282 216398, or visit my office on Grimshaw Street, drop in hours Monday to Thursday, 10am to 2pm.
Speak soon, or until next time,
Oliver.