Preston North End will unveil a brand new memorial at Deepdale as part of their events to mark this year’s Armistice Day.
The club’s last home game before 11th November will be this Saturday’s home game with Rotherham United, and therefore this game has been chosen for a number of events to remember those who have fallen and particularly to mark the centenary anniversary of the end of First World War in 1918.
The memorial was the idea of the club’s honorary historian, Ian Rigby - who will be part of the official party unveiling it – and it features the names of the 21 former first team, reserve and amateur players registered with the club who lost their lives in the war between 1914 and 1918.
It also shows their regiment, when they died and the place they now rest – this will be officially unveiled at 2.10pm on Saturday afternoon at its site, just to the left of the Dick, Kerr Ladies memorial.
The event will see representatives from The Fourth Battalion The Duke Of Lancaster’s Regiment, join Ian and club officials at the unveiling, with The Ode being read by club chaplain Chris Nelson, before The Last Post is performed, and then a club official will lay a wreath at the foot of the new marble structure.
The events continue just before kick-off, when the two teams will be accompanied out onto the pitch by eight service personnel and 21 children, representing those who died on the list, each child wearing a kit bearing the name of one of those 21 on the back of the shirt.
Before kick-off, The Last Post will again be played, whilst the name of the players appear on the big screen and a moment of silence will be held after the bugler has finished playing before the game gets underway.
The first team, and those 21 children, will proudly wear the Royal British Legion poppy on the front of their shirts, with the first team shirts being later auctioned in aid of the RBL, who will also have collectors present at the game.
Finally, Saturday’s match programme is also a very special remembrance edition, featuring a unique cover, with 21 red poppies representing those who passed away and profiles of all the players from the research undertaken by Ian Rigby.
Fans are welcome to attend the unveiling of the new memorial, which will commence at 2.10pm and should only last a few minutes, allowing entry to Deepdale well in advance of kick-off, we look forward to welcoming you to be part of our remembrance event.