TWO of Burnley's most famous sons are set to be immortalised with blue plaques erected in their honour.

Former England football manager Ron Greenwood, CBE, and war hero Thomas Whitham, who received the Victoria Cross in the First World War, will be recognised in the town.

Villagers in Worsthorne, where Ron Greenwood was born, wanted to honour him with a memorial on his house.

And their wish has been taken on by Burnley Civic Society who also plan to add Thomas Whitham's name to the worthy recipients.

Coun Roger Frost, from the Civic Society, said: "These two were the first two names that I suggested when the scheme was first brought up almost 25 years ago.

"Burnley has got several people who have received the Victoria Cross but Mr Whitham was the only one who was Burnley born and bred.

"And Ron Greenwood needs no introduction, the man was a legend."

The blue plaque scheme celebrates great historical figures from Burnley and the places they lived in the town as well as historical buildings in the borough.

Mr Greenwood, who went on to manage the national team between 1977 and 1982, died at his Suffolk home earlier this year following a long illness.

Worsthorne parish clerk Carole Galbraith said: "It would be a fitting tribute to a man who achieved so much and was very well-loved. It would be good for the village and another thing to add to the history of the village."

One of Ron's first brushes with the "beautiful game" came at the age of seven when he acted as mascot for Worsthorne Manufacturing Company's team.

The family moved to London in 1932 when Ron was eight and he began his footballing career at Bradford Park Avenue after the war.

Ron was West Ham boss from 1961 to 1974 and then general manager at Upton Park until 1977.

During that time, the club won the FA Cup for the first time in 1964 and won the European Cup Winners' Cup the following season.

He took over as England boss after Don Revie's surprise move to the Middle East and led the team to the 1980 European Championships and the 1982 World Cup in Spain.

The story of Thomas Whitham is a more tragic tale.

Mr Whitham, a soldier in the Coldstream Guards, was awarded the VC for gallantry after disabling a German machine gun on the first day of the third Battle of Ypres in July, 1917.

But, despite being presented with a clock from the borough and a gold watch, he was soon left feeling humiliated by his home town.

Just a year after being feted as a hero, Mr Whitham was refused work by Burnley corporation, now the council.

He was believed to have been treated in an off-hand and disrespectful manner after asking for a job.

The young soldier, who was born in Worsthorne in 1888, was forced to leave his young family and travel outside the area to look for work.

He also had to pawn the watch and VC medal but died in poverty six years after returning from France, aged just 36. Thomas died in Oldham Infirmary in 1924 and was buried with full military honours in the Inghamite Burial Ground, Wheatley Lane, Fence.