PLANS for a memorial plaque for Darwen’s war victims have been revived and a town centre site chosen.

Bryan Thompson, from the Darwen branch of the British Legion, has been in talks with council bosses, ending fears that the memorial idea had collapsed.

The legion has pushed for a new memorial as it believes current ones in Belgrave Square and Bold Venture Park are insufficient.

Mr Thompson revealed the new one would be placed on the left hand side of the pillar on the entrance to Darwen Market Hall, in the market square.

The British Legion has now begun work on finalising the design.

Mr Thompson said: “We are looking for something general and central. We are considering putting a coat of arms from the Royal Navy, the Royal Air Force and the Army and it will be for the citizens of Darwen who have died for crown and country. We want it to be general with no religious emblems or dates. There are going to be more deaths and we don’t want specific dates being mentioned.

“We want a quotation from a war poet. The one we are considering is from the Kohima epitaph in Burma. It says: ‘When you go home, tell them of us and say, for their tomorrow, we gave our today’.

“We are thinking about using slate for the overall memorial. This is all only suggestions at the minute and we are asking anyone with ideas to contact us.”

Plans for a memorial were first suggested more than 18 months ago and in March 2008 proposals for a young, modern woman kneeling over a war grave was suggested but communications dwindled between the British Legion and the council.

Mr Thompson said: “Things are moving now and we hope the memorial will be in Darwen town centre next year, if not sooner.”