28/09/2026
On Saturday, a few of us went to a local cemetery to honour the servicemen who fought and died for us in both world wars.
When asked how it made her feel, our branch organiser had this to say:
“I hadn’t been to many graveyards in my life before that day, and I’d never considered them inviting places. But strangely, what I felt when I went there was a profound sense of peace. It was sunny and warm, and there were many more graves than I’d imagined.
As we began looking for the military graves, I was struck by the sheer volume of flowers that had been placed by so many headstones. It looked beautiful. More than anything else, it showed me that St Helens as a town is full of love, and people show it openly.
The first headstone I cleaned was that of a Private in the Army Catering Corps. As I scrubbed it with a soft-bristled brush, I found myself wondering who he was, why he decided to join the Army, what he did during his years of service, and what circumstances had led to his death.
There was something satisfying about watching the dirt wash away from his headstone and seeing the difference we were making. I was a bit annoyed, however, that I couldn’t clean it thoroughly. As volunteers, we’re only allowed to use water, so I’d be interested to see how the professionals do it.
As we moved through the cemetery, we came across servicemen from a range of different roles. We cleaned the graves of several privates, corporals and engineers, as well as an ordinary seaman, an aircraftman and wireless operators/air gunners. I was intrigued by their titles and found myself wanting to learn about what their roles involved and, most importantly, about the men themselves.
By the time we’d finished, I felt deeply fulfilled. I was particularly glad that we’d been able to take care of graves that looked like they might have been forgotten about. Those men deserve to be honoured, and we ought to make sure people know their names.”
With that, we’re beginning our series on local war heroes. Each week, we’ll choose a serviceman laid to rest in St Helens and explore the story of the man behind the headstone.
Want to join us next time?
Our final cemetery care event of the year will take place next month, as we’re not permitted to clean the gravestones between November and March.
If you’d like to come along, let us know in the comments or send us a private message 🏴🇬🇧