A DEDICATED bell ringer who rang in more than 500 church towers has sadly died.

Joe Thornley, bell tower captain at St John’s Church in Farnworth for 50 years, passed away in April at the age of 93.

“He was a very generous man who will be much missed,” said Dorothy McGlynn, St John’s PCC Secretary.

Mr Thornley was born in Farnworth on April 20, 1926. He and his younger brother Bill grew up in Cross Street, Farnworth. He attended Queen Street Council School, before joining Wadsworth’s in Bolton as a lift engineer, a career which was to last until he retired in 1993.

When he was 15-years-old he was inspired to become a campanologist, after reading an appeal for ringers at St Paul’s Church, Walkden, in the Farnworth Journal.

He served as a machine gunner in the Manchester Regiment, during the war and whilst serving in Malta rang the six bells of the Anglican Cathedral of St Paul’s in Valletta.

On ‘demob’, at the end of the Second World War, he went back to Wadsworth’s and also to ring at St Paul’s Walkden.

However, he had always wanted to see the eight bells at St John’s Farnworth and Kearsley Parish Church restored for ringing. Mechanical Ringing had been installed as part of the Church Centenary in 1926.

After the presentation of new ropes in 1943, the bells were manually rung only on special occasions, such as Sermons and Christmas, because of their poor condition.

It was decided in 1953, when Rev L.P Burnett was vicar, to re-cast the eight bells to commemorate the Coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

The PCC gave Joe permission to try and get individual people to pay for the re-casting of a bell in memory of a loved one. Joe had a motor bike and travelled as far as Southport in order to obtain the funds for the new bells. The castings were completed in 1954.

Joe took a week of his holiday leave in January 1954 to help the bell founders John Taylor of Loughborough to remove the bells.

He took a further two weeks leave four months later when they were re-hung.

Mrs McGlynn said: “During his time as Bell Tower Captain, at St John’s, Joe bought many artefacts for Church. It was during the tenure of Rev Philip Arthur Wrigley, that he bought a full set of vestments. Those vestments, apart from the green and purple set which have recently been replaced, are still in use today.

“On a trip to the Passion Plays in Oberammergau, Bavaria, Germany, with a group of parishioners from St Aiden’s, Bradford, Manchester, he had the Crucifix, which still hangs above our pulpit, specially carved. He also bought the statue of St John the Evangelist, which is positioned on the balcony wall.

“The hand bells, used by our men’s group, were a gift from Joe. Most recently he presented the church with a framed Waterloo Medal.”

The medal had been produced by the Royal Mint to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo. Shortly after the Battle, St John’s was one of the churches erected with money paid for by the Church Commission.

Through his work, Mr Thornley travelled the country and would often ask at the nearest church if he could join in the bell ringing.

Mrs McGlynn said: “Joe rang in over 500 different towers and rung 1,147 peals. He intended to go on until he dropped or until he could no longer climb the tower steps.”

In 2004, the 50th Anniversary of the re-casting of the bells, Joe wrote to the Queen, telling her that the Ring of Bells at St John’s had been restored to commemorate her coronation. He received a reply on behalf of the Queen during her stay at Balmoral Castle.

However, in 2005, illness meant that he could no longer carry out his beloved calling and serve God as a bell ringer.

Mr Thornley, who never married, suffered ill health for a number of years and eventually had to move from his home on Bolton Road, Kearsley, to the Four Seasons Nursing Home in Bolton where he died on April 11.