Brothers remember the fallen of Moulton (From Warrington Guardian)

Brothers remember the fallen of Moulton

A TRIO of brothers from mid Cheshire have returned home from a trip they will never forget.

Brian, David and Paul White spent three-and-a-half days touring the cemeteries of France and Belgium on their motorbikes after being inspired by books about the Moulton men who gave their lives for the country in the two World Wars.

The three brothers, from Middlewich, Moulton and Winsford, covered 1,247 miles as they visited the graves of 30 villagers who lost their lives in the First World War after reading 34 Men by Geoff Crompton, who also founded the Moulton Adventure Group.

They laid wooden crosses on each grave, including four at St Wilfrid's Church in Davenham, played the Last Post and took photographs of each to be professionally mounted and framed and hung on the walls of Moulton's Royal British Legion.

Brian, 45, said: "It was a fantastic trip but very moving and very emotional.

"You just wouldn't believe the sheer numbers of young men who died - 17 was the age of the youngest we saw."

He added: "We walked into one graveyard in Rouen and just stood there and tried to work out how many football pitches large it was.

"We thought it could be two-and-a-half long and two wide - and you can get a lot of graves in a football pitch."

The three also hunted out the grave of one man who died in the Second World War on the request of his son, who lives in Winsford, and grandchildren.

The White brothers, who named their trip Operation Welcome Home, hope to have the photographs framed within the next few weeks and are delighted with donations they have received from Paul's employer Steve Reece, the works manager at Winsford Salt Mine, and Middlewich builder Jason Garbett.

Brian said: "We should never forget - you can't ask much more of a man than to give his life."