RAF Handforth was a large and important storage facility that contributed directly to the war effort. The site stretched from the centre of Handforth village, through Cheadle Hulme and onwards to Woodford. The industrial estate Adlington Park in Woodford/Poynton was a dispersed site of RAF Handforth. Cheadle Hulme itself escaped being badly damaged, but its villagers knew the extent of the war, mainly due to the large and visible presence of the RAF and could hear the sounds of air-raids on Manchester.