John Martin

Chairman of Kearsley Urban District Council: 1942-43, 1951-52, 1962-63 (Labour)

Born: Little Lever 18 December 1892

Died: Kearsley 24 August 1984

One of 19 children, he started work in the pit aged 13, and later was a warehouseman with Bolton Cooperative Society.

Served in the Army in France during the First World War.

During the Second World War he was in charge of the Air Raid Warning system at the Report Centre, Kearsley.

Councillor for 27 years 1936-63.

Chairman of the Road Safety Committee and member of many other UDC and County Council bodies inckuding the Divisional Education Committee.

County Councillor for Kearsley (Little Lever Electoral Division) for 25 years from 1948 and a Magistrate for 24 years from 1948. County Alderman 1959.

Chairman of the County Fire Service.

Member of the Management Committee of Farnworth, Kearsley and Worsley Co-operative Society for 22 years.

Chairman of Farnworth Division Road Safety organization.

A Governor of several schools, including Farnworth Grammar, Little Lever Secondary Modern School, Kearsley West and Kearsley Mount Methodist Primary School.

Awarded OBE in 1973 for services to Kearsley and Lancashire and described his life as "one long journey from the slums of Little Lever to Buckingham Palace." The award of the OBE recognised 36 years of unbroken voluntary service.

Published an autobiography "Ups and Downs" in the same year.

He suffered indifferent health but ignored medical advice to give up public life, saying,  "I decided if I had to go out, I was going out doing something I liked."