Remembering the fallen for their service and sacrifice whilst defending our freedom and protecting our way of life is a given each November. However ’lest we forget’ took on a whole new meaning for the local Rotary Cheadle Royal group back in November 2019 whilst placing a wreath at the Cheadle War Memorial.

The Grade2 listed obelisk (designer unknown) stands in a prominent position on the village green and is made from rock faced, rough hewn white granite. It commemorates the 101 local men who died fighting in the First World War, 54 men from the Second World War and 8 Air Raid victims from two German bombs that fell on homes in Bulkeley Road and Stockport Road also killing a mother, daughter and a fire warden.

Rotarian Geoff Shelmerdine said: “the structure was far from white, in a very sorry state of dark grey with black staining and looked like it had been totally forgotten for many years.

Much research ensued to identify those responsible for the cleaning of war memorials and Rotary funds were made available to bring the structure back to an acceptable state to take pride of place on our beautiful village green before the next Remembrance Sunday.

With the onset of the Covid Pandemic in 2019 Rotary funds were re-directed in support of three local Food Banks and two local Hospices leaving the memorial project on the back burner – fast forward to 2021 and thanks to local Councillors from Cheadle, Gatley and Cheadle Hulme North Wards funds have been made available from the Ward Budget and our ‘Clean-up’ Campaign is now complete - the memorial glistens once again and in time for November 11th”.