The Oldham West, Chadderton and Royton constituency has a number of war graves maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, with a memorial accompanying Chadderton Cemetery where 74 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 49 from the Second World War are located throughout the cemetery.
Records are held by the CWGC of each grave here and across the world.
Nearby St. Matthew’s Churchyard contains war graves of 14 service personnel from First World War and 9 from the Second World War. The archive contains correspondence including a letter from the church warden on receipt of the headstones in 1950 (and a complaint about the ‘unhelpful’ men who delivered them).
Royton St. Anne’s Churchyard contains the war graves of 14 service personnel from World War I and 5 from World War II. With Royton Cemetery home to 22 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 14 from the Second World War. The archive contains correspondence which also raises concern from then Urban District Council about the use of Portland Stone.
Hollinwood Cemetery hosts 43 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 35 Commonwealth war graves from the Second World War. Nearby St. Margaret’s Churchyard includes a single Commonwealth war grave of William Hunt Garlick who was 32 years old when died in 1921, serving in the Royal Engineers
30th Div. Signal Coy.
Outside the constituency there are also Commonwealth War Graves at Greenacres Cemetery, St Thomas Moorside, Failsworth Cemetery, Failsworth Jewish Cemetery, Waterhead Holy Trinity, Lees Cemetery, Delph, St Thomas Saddleworth, and St Chads Saddleworth and at St Gabriel’s at Middleton Junction.
The cenotaphs across the towns mark a collective memorial, but it is very powerful to see individual graves of those who didn’t return home, and the ultimate sacrifice they made for our freedom.
The CWGC maintains detailed records of war casualties. By visiting their website, you can search for individuals buried at individual cemeteries and churchyards, which may provide insights into their ranks, regiments, and backgrounds. You can find out more here https://www.cwgc.org/find-records/
Jim McMahon OBE MP 