FLAGS to mark the service of US and Canadian soldiers during the Second World War have been 'stolen' from Glazebrook.

The area is home to a former Marine camp, which was commissioned in the early 1940s.

HMS Gosling was used to house servicemen from the US and Canada during the events of World War Two.

Warrington Guardian: Flag posts were installed at the site in 2018Flag posts were installed at the site in 2018 (Image: David Scholes)

In the 1960s - after the site was demilitarised - it was turned into a country club, with two squash courts, a gymnasium, a sauna and a bar/restaurant.

At this point, HMS Gosling was renamed Glazebrook Country Club, however it has since returned to its old military moniker.

In 2018, flags were raised on new 40-foot flagpoles for the first time to mark Remembrance Day.

The flagpoles have been used every year since to commemorate those who fell during active service for their country.

However, patrons of the site have now spotted that the flags and flagposts are no longer on the site - they have called it 'the Last Post... literally.'

The site has been subject to a number of planning applications over the past few years, including plans for a refurbishment of the club.

Warrington Guardian: Canadian and US flags have been raised each year to mark the service of soldiers from across the AtlanticCanadian and US flags have been raised each year to mark the service of soldiers from across the Atlantic (Image: Christine Lucas)

Those who submitted the application say they did so in order to create a number of residences on the site that could be used by people travelling from the US and Canada to see where their relatives served during the conflict.

However, this application was refused by Warrington Borough Council.

The proposal included planned developments for the current remembrance garden on the site.

In its heyday, the club could support 2,000 people and was known for its connection with a number of iconic celebrities including the Glen Miller band and Dame Vera Lynn.

In the 1990s the land was ransacked by travellers and the country club - which was a wedding venue and clay pigeon hub at the time - was closed.

Now, the remembrance tradition of raising the flags at the site has been one of the very few activities to take place on the site, but this year the trustees were unable to do so, as they had reported the flags and flagposts had gone missing.

It remains to be seen where the flagposts are now, though the site's trustees are holding out hope for their return.