THE HEROIC sacrifice made by the Accrington Pals was commemorated in the same church that held a service to mark the departure of the conscripts to war 91 years ago.

Held in the church of St John the Evangelist, Accrington, the service saw around 50 civic dignitaries from across Lancashire join dozens of British Legion veterans and current servicemen and women.

One of the speakers was 2nd Lieutenant Shelley Whitehead, whose great uncle Private Joseph Whitehead was just 17 when he was killed in France while serving with the volunteer force.

Yesterday's service was the last year it will be held under the banner of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, which merges with the King's Own Royal Border and King's Regiment to form the new Duke of Lancaster's Regiment on July 1.

The Accrington Pals, officially the 11th (Service) Battalion (Accrington), East Lancashire Regiment, formed in late 1914 and was given a Valedictory Service send-off at the church in February 1915. On the morning of July 1, 1916, 584 men were killed in less than an hour in the opening shots of the Battle of the Somme.

Lieutenant Whitehead, 38, of Station Road, Great Harwood, is detachment commander of the Blackburn-based Somme Detachment of the Lancashire Army Cadet Force.

She said: "This service is about the history of the town as well as the Accrington Pals. Their story must be remembered for future generations. We have a lot of local TA lads serving in Iraq and around the world."