George Birtill
George Birtill | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Mayor of Chorley | |
| In office 1995–1996 | |
| Preceded by | Anthony Gee |
| Succeeded by | Melville George Coombes |
| Chorley Borough Councillor for Chorley North West Ward | |
| In office 1977–1996 | |
| Editor of the Chorley Guardian | |
| In office 1946–1977 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 1912 Leyland, Lancashire, England |
| Died | April 2000 Longton, Lancashire, England |
| Political party | Conservative Party (UK) |
| Spouse(s) | Gertrude Joan Griffithe |
| Children | David Birtill
Godfrey Birtill three others |
| Education | Balshaw's Grammar School |
| Awards | OBE |
George Arthur Birtill OBE JP (1912‒2000) was an English author, historian, journalist and local politician who served as Mayor of Chorley from 1995 to 1996.[1] He worked for the Chorley Guardian for over 30 years and as Editor launched the Leyland Guardian. He was a founding member and twice Chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors and a life member of the National Union of Journalists.[2] He was a prolific writer and, alongside writings for local papers, he authored a number of historical books.[3] For his love and fascination for Chorley, he became known as 'Mr Chorley'.[4]
Early Life
Birtill was born in 1912, in Leyland, Lancashire.[2] He attended Balshaw's Grammar School[4] (now Balshaw's Church of England High School) and after leaving school began working for the local newspaper, the Chorley Guardian. His family was heavily involved in the establishment of Leyland Motors.[4]
Journalism
Birtill worked for over 30 years for the local newspaper the Chorley Guardian. He served as its Editor from 1946 until his retirement from the role in 1977.[4][5] He led the founding of the Leyland Guardian in 1959.[6]
He was a founding member and twice Chairman of the Guild of Newspaper Editors (later merging with the Association of the British Editors to become the Society of Editors[7]) and a life member of the National Union of Journalists.[2]
Later on in life he would return to the paper to write a historical column called The Way We Were.[8]
Local Office
Upon ending his time at the paper, Birtill entered into local politics. In the 1979 Chorley Borough Council Elections, he was elected as a Conservative Party Councillor for Chorley North West Ward.[9] He served as a member of the Chorley Council until 1996, with his final year being marked by his appointment as Mayor of Chorley.[2][1]
George was a keen golfer and was Honorary Secretary of Chorley Golf Club for 30 years, its Captain twice and became Life President in 1990.[10] He was a founding member of the Chorley and Leyland Rotary Club[11] and was awarded a Paul Harris Fellowship. In addition, he founded Chorley Ramblers as its secretary in June 1973.[12] He served as Chair of the Astley Hall Society.[2]
Legacy
In 1973, he was awarded the OBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List for services to journalism and the preservation of rural England.[13]
He died in a Longton nursing home after many years battling against leukaemia. He was cremated at Overdale Crematorium, Bolton, following a service at St Laurence's Church, Chorley.[4] His family deposited his collections of writings, photographs, negatives, slides and glass prints with Lancashire County Council.[2][14]
His son David Birtill (1941‒2020) also worked as a journalist for the Daily Telegraph, Daily Mirror, Daily Star, Sunday Express and notably as the PGA North Region press officer.[15]
His son Godfrey Birtill also spent some time at the Chorley Guardian[16] and is currently a singer/songwriter.[17][18]
Published works
- Over the Five Barred Gate 1982
- In the Footsteps of the Faithful: a History of St Joseph's Brindle 1677-1977 1 Jan 1979
- The Green Pastures 1 Jan 1968
- Follow Any Stream 1 Dec 1976
- The Enchanted Hills 1 Jan 1966
- The Lion with a Funny Face - a story of Miles Standish 1 Jan 1978
- The Field of Churls a History of Chorley from the Conquest to the First World War 1 Jan 1970
- Let's Take a Walk 1 Dec 1983
- Heather in My Hat 1 Jan 1977
- Motorway Country: Afternoon Runs Between The Ribble And Condor 1 Jan 1971
- Towpath Trek 1 Jan 1981
- The Hiker's Book of Rivington
- The Changing Years Chorley and District Between Two Wars
- The Hall That Climbed The Hill - History of the Chorley Golf Club 1990[3][19]
External Links
A 1983 Interview with BBC Radio Lancashire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruzHHQgGni0&t=118s
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Former Mayors". Chorley Council. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "George Birtill". Red Rose Collections from Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Amazon.co.uk". www.amazon.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Farewell Mr Chorley". The Bolton News. 2000-04-21. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ Sharman, David. "Former Chorley Guardian and Bolton News journalist dies aged 85 - Journalism News from HoldtheFrontPage". HoldtheFrontPage. Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ Foundry, The Theme (2014-05-16). "Leyland Guardian | British Newspapers Online". Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ "About – Society of Editors". Retrieved 2023-08-06.
- ↑ "The Estate of the Standish Family of Duxbury Lancashire England". mylesstandish.info. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "Chorley Borough Council Election Results 1973-2012" (PDF).
- ↑ "Tea, not tees, for visitors to Chorley GC | English Golf Courses". www.englishgolf-courses.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "George Birtill congratulated on becoming new Rotary President". Red Rose Collections from Lancashire County Council. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ Allman, Brian. "40 not out!".
- ↑ "Honours for the N-West". Manchester Evening News. 1973-10-24. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-11-03.
- ↑ "George Birtill - Red Rose Collections from Lancashire County Council". redrosecollections.lancashire.gov.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "David Birtill – AGW Member 1995 – 2020 – Tributes | Association of Golf Writers". www.agwgolf.org. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "❤ wiganworld - Wigan Album, Printers". www.wiganworld.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "GodfreyB - About". www.godfreyb.com. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "Godfrey Birtill - YouTube". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
- ↑ "George Birtill - AbeBooks". www.abebooks.co.uk. Retrieved 2023-08-07.
This article "George Birtill" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical and/or the page Edithistory:George Birtill. Articles copied from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be seen on the Draft Namespace of Wikipedia and not main one.
