Commonwealth War Graves
Christ Church graveyard contains the graves and memorials of servicemen, eight
who lost their lives in WWI and twelve in WWII.
There are seven memorials to soldiers who died in WWI, two in France, one in
Belgium, three in Salonika (Greece) and one in East Africa. Fred Plumb is the only
serviceman from WWI who was buried in the graveyard, the other seven servicemen
were buried in cemeteries abroad. Fred was a Private in the South Lancashire
Regiment. He was probably a prisoner of war, as he was repatriated from Germany
to England shortly before the end of the war, possibly because he had significant
injuries and would no longer be able to fight. He died on the 5 th November 1918 from
pneumonia, only six days before the end of the war.
Most of the graves and memorials of servicemen from WWII are of members of the
RAF. One was killed in Italy and another was killed whilst on flying operations over
Berlin in 1944. Two were members of the Royal Corps of Signals. Some have the
typical military grave headstones, which are maintained by the Commonwealth War
Graves Commission.
The graveyard contains a memorial to a civilian who lost her life in Warrington in
WWII. Amy Heath Edwards was a 30 year old nurse who was killed during a
bombing raid on Arpley Meadows in September 1940.
The graveyard also contains the military graves of five servicemen who died after
WWII, presumably whilst serving at RAF Padgate.
A recipient of the George Medal is buried in the woodland graveyard. Cliff Green was
awarded the George Medal in 1940 for neutralising four unexploded bombs at
Gravesend in Kent. He went on to become a lay reader at Christ Church for over 50
years from 1947 – 2000.
