The Impact of World War II In 1939 the authorities thought Cheadle Hulme would be a safer place than Manchester itself. Therefore the day before war was declared – 2nd September 1939 – most of the girls from Manchester High School for Girls and 40 girls and staff from Fairfield High School, were evacuated to Cheadle Hulme. The girls who were evacuated went to live with local families, who received 8 shillings a week from the government. The evacuees attended Cheadle Hulme School. This created huge challenges because the school, designed for 400 pupils, now had nearly 1,000 pupils. Lots of extra classrooms had to be found – classes were held in the Congregational Church school rooms in Cheadle Hulme and even in the upstairs of a shop so pupils had to dash (on foot or by bike) all over Cheadle Hulme for lessons.
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