WWI Commonwealth War Cemeteries

Actual Event Date: March 14,2014

 

Continuing the series of posts from the past couple of weeks about the Commonwealth War Graves I'd like to share some information about the specific World War I cemeteries L and I were able to visit while in Ypres last month.

Perth Cemetery {China Wall}

Just a few kilometers outside of Ypres this was the first cemetery we stopped at. It was along the road we were traveling to visit another site so it wasn't a planned stop on the Battle Plan but I'm very glad we did.

This cemetery was started by French troops in November 1914 and was adopted by the 2nd Scottish Rifles in June 1917. The French graves were removed after the Armistice. It was used for front line burials until October 1917 and up to that point contained 130 graves. After the Armistice, graves were brought in from the battlefields around Ypres and from about 30 smaller cemeteries. Today there are 2,791 Commonwealth soldiers of WWI buried or commemorated here. 1,369 of the graves are unidentified, 27 casualties believed to be buried among them are commemorated on special memorials, and names of another 104 casualties are inscribed on memorials for those whose graves could not be found.

It was called Perth because the predecessors for the 2nd Scottish Rifles were raised in Perth, and China Wall from the communication trench known as the Great Wall of China. It was also called Halfway House Cemetery. 

Sanctuary Wood

Sanctuary Wood Cemetery was the 2nd one we visited during our afternoon in the Ypres area. This area is one of the larger woods in the commune of Zillebeke and was used in 1914 to screen troops behind the front line. It was at the centre of the Battle of Mount Sorrel in June 1916 involving the 1st and 3rd Canadian Divisions. There were three Commonwealth cemeteries in this area until this battle and after only traces of one cemetery was found. It is here that they built the present day Sanctuary Wood Cemetery. 

At the Armistice there were 137 graves, but like Perth Cemetery, many more were brought in from surrounding smaller cemeteries until it reached the present day number of 1, 989 Commonwealth servicemen of WWI being buried or commemorated here. 1,353 of the burials are unidentified and many graves are identified in groups but not individually. 

In this cemetery we chose to leave our cameras in the car and just take a quiet stroll around the cemetery. 

Hooge Crater

This cemetery we found quite by accident. It wasn't on our route but we saw several tour buses on a street we passed so we made note to come back to see what was up that street. We found a museum that we now have on the list for our next trip to Belgium and the Hooge Crater Cemetery.

At one time there stood Hooge Chateau which was the scene of much fighting during WWI. In October 1914 the 1st and 2nd Divisions were wiped out when the chateau was shelled. In May and June of 1915 the chateau was defended against the attacking Germans and in July of the same year the crater was created by a mine detonated by the 3rd Division. The chateau was then taken by the Germans four times between July 1915 and April 1918, and finally regained for the last time in September 1918 by the 9th (Scottish) and 29th Divisions. 

The cemetery itself was begun in October 1917 and originally contained 76 graves but was greatly increased after the Armistice to the current number of 5,923 Commonwealth soldiers commemorated within its low walls, with 3,579 of the burials unidentified. 

Tyne Cot

Tyne Cot received its name from the Northumberland Fusiliers who dubbed the small barn by the rail crossing on the Passchendaele-Broodseinde road "Tyne Cot" or "Tyne Cottage". The barn had become the centre of half a dozen German pill-boxes. One of these pill-boxes was unusually large and was used as an advanced dressing station after its capture by the 3rd Australian Division. In late 1917 through early 1918, 343 graves were made on two sides of it. The cemetery fell back into German hands from April to September but was finally recaptured by the Belgian Army.

There are four pill-boxes in the cemetery with the Cross of Sacrifice placed on the largest one at the suggestion of King George V. 

Image can be enlarged by clicking on it.

Tyne Cot is now the largest Commonwealth cemetery in the world in terms of burials. There are 11,956 servicemen buried or commemorated here with 8,369 of the burials unidentified. There are also 4 German soldiers buried in this cemetery. In addition to the graves the Tyne Cot Memorial forms the north-eastern boundary around the cemetery and commemorates another 35,000 servicemen from the United Kingdom and New Zealand who died in the Ypres Salient after August 16, 1917 and whose graves are not known.

Essex Farm

We finished off our day in Belgium with a stop at Essex Farm Cemetery which is the resting place for 1,200 servicemen of WWI. Of these 103 are unidentified and it was here that we saw the youngest soldier in all the cemeteries we visited. Rifleman V.J.Strudwick was just 15 years old when he was killed in 1916.

It was also here that Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae of the Canadian Army Medical Corps wrote his well known poem "In Flanders Fields" in May 1915. It is believed he started this poem the evening after he performed the burial service for his friend, and fellow soldier, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer. His poem has become one of the most enduring poems of the First World War and made the poppy a lasting symbol of self-sacrifice in war. I remember well reciting this poem each year at our Remembrance Day services in elementary school.

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

~ John McCrae, May 1915

Design and Structure of the Commonwealth War Cemeteries

Last Sunday I started a series of posts about the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and wrote about the history of the Commission and how the cemeteries came to be created. This week I'd like to continue in this series by describing the structure of these cemeteries, the symbols found within them, and the design of the stones marking the burials of the fallen soldiers.


Sir Frederic Kenyon who described his vision of the cemeteries in 1918 said this: 
 

 "The general appearance of a British cemetery will be that of an enclosure with plots of grass or flowers (or both) separated by paths of varying size, and set with orderly rows of headstones, uniform in height and width.  Shrubs and trees will be arranged in various places, sometimes as clumps at the junctions of ways, sometimes as avenues along the sides of the principal paths, sometimes around the borders of the cemetery.  The graves will, wherever possible, face towards the east, and at the eastern end of the cemetery will be a great altar stone, raised upon broad steps, and bearing some brief and appropriate phrase or text.  Either over the stone, or elsewhere in the cemetery, will be a small building, where visitors may gather for shelter or for worship, and where the register of the graves will be kept.  And at some prominent spot will rise the Cross, as the symbol of the Christian faith and of the self-sacrifice of the men who now lie beneath its shadow."

The structure and design of the cemeteries and memorials played an important part from the very beginning of their creation. Except for a few exceptions, due to local geological conditions, all of the cemeteries follow the same design globally so that they may be easily recognized and distinguished from war graves of other countries or groups.

Perth Cemetery in Belgium

Typically the cemeteries are surrounded by a low wall or hedge with a wrought-iron gate at the entrance. Notably for cemeteries in France and Belgium, a land tablet is found near the entrance to identify that the grounds have been provided the the French or Belgian government.

Land tablet and register at Bayeux War Cemetery in France

 

All but the very smallest cemeteries also contain a register with an inventory of the burials, a plan of the plots and rows, and a basic history of the cemetery. These registers are found in metal cupboards marked with a cross found near the entrance or in a shelter within the cemetery.

 

 
The grounds are covered in grass with a floral border around the headstones (except in drier climates) and were designed as such to make the cemetery feel like a traditional walled garden where visitors could feel a sense of peace instead of traditionally bleak graveyards.

"There is no reason why cemeteries should be places of gloom."

~ Sir Frederic Kenyon, How the Cemeteries Abroad Will be Designed, 1918

Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium

Cross of Sacrifice

Designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, the cross of sacrifice is a symbol of the selflessness displayed by those commemorated in each cemetery and represents the denominations of all Christians. On each one is a downward facing bronze sword that symbolizes that the battle has been fought and those that gave their lives are now mourned. In order not to overshadow the grave stones a cross of sacrifice is only placed in those cemeteries with more than 40 graves. In cemeteries with a majority of non-Christians buried there is no cross, but instead they may have another symbol of the culture of the majority of the soldiers such as a magnificent pine tree representing longevity and endurance as found in the Chinese cemetery at Noyelles-sur-Mer in France.




 
Stone of Remembrance

The Stone of Remembrance was designed by an architect Edward Luytens and expresses the idea of eternity. It can be found in each cemetery that has more than 1000 graves and each one bears the words "Their Name Liveth for Evermore" which was chosen by Rudyard Kipling from the Old Testament. Although the words are from the Bible the Stone of Remembrance was designed to be a non-Christian memorial as a sign of respect for the diversity of the 1.7 million commemorated. Unlike the other religious symbols it is meant to represent everyone. Their bodies are buried in peace and their name liveth for evermore.

Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in France

British headstones at Bayeux War Cemetery in France

Headstones

On almost all headstones is a cross, whether wide or narrow depending on the country and regiment of the soldier, which shows the faith of those fallen. There are also some stones that bear the Star of David to mark the graves of Jewish casualties, and some bear no religious symbol at all at the request of some families.

The emblem on all Canadian headstones

Emblems

All British headstones bear the regimental badges (including those of Irish regiments) and the others are marked with their respective national emblem.


Personal Details

Each headstone is marked at the top with the soldier's name, number, unit, date of death and, often,his age. Preceding his name is his rank or Private if he was in the infantry, Gunner if he was an artilleryman, Sapper if he was with the engineers, and so on.

Sadly many bodies could not be identified at all and bear the inscription "A Soldier of the Great War, Known unto God" that was also developed by Rudyard Kipling. If they could be partially identified then the headstone carries the additional known information.

Where applicable the soldier's decorations, such as Military Medal and Distinguished Conduct Medal, follow the soldier's name on the stone.

Unknown soldiers at Tyne Cot Cemetery in Belgium

Epitaph

Soldier's families could chose an epitaph to be added to the bottom of the headstone. Many chose lines from poems or the Bible, while others chose more personal messages to show their pride and love. Interestingly Australian headstones have the highest ratio of epitaphs yet New Zealand headstones contain none.






Special Memorials

When a soldier is known to be buried in a particular cemetery but the exact location of his grave can not be determined, he is commemorated by a "Special Memorial". His name will appear on this stone only, and not on a Memorial to the Missing. Engraved above his name will be one of the following inscriptions:
a)  "Believed to be"
b)  "Believed to be buried in this cemetery"
c)  "Known to be buried in this cemetery"
d)  "To the memory of"

For those soldiers where there is no known grave his name is inscribed on a Memorial to the Missing. In the coming weeks I'll have some information about these memorials too, most specifically those at the Menin Gate and Tyne Cot.

To view information about each of the 23,000 cemeteries and memorials maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission you can visit their website and search their databases for particular cemeteries or soldiers.

"Where the sacrifices had been common, the memorial should be common also" 

~ How the Cemeteries Abroad will be Designed, 1918

History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Beny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery in Reviers, France

A very important part of the trip L and I took recently to Normandy and Ypres were the military cemeteries we visited to take some moments to reflect and pay our respects to the soldiers that fought and died during WWI and WWII. In France we visited an American, a German, a Canadian, and two Commonwealth cemeteries and then in Ypres we visited several more Commonwealth cemeteries.  Eventually I'd like to feature each one we visited but today I'd like to start with the history behind the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that created and continues to maintain the Commonwealth cemeteries and memorials.

As we slowly wandered through each one we noticed the similarities between them, wondered about the layout of some that seemed odd (in that they weren't all laid out in straight and tidy rows), and noted the higher proportion of unknown soldiers in WWI cemeteries in Ypres and the surrounding areas than in the WWII cemeteries in France. I picked up some pamphlets along the way and studied information at the Tyne Cot visitors center describing the story behind how these cemeteries and memorials came to be and the common symbols in each and this is what has led to today's post.

The story begins in 1914 when a former teacher, Fabian Ware, arrived in France. He wanted to enlist in the British army but was told he was too old so he joined, and later commanded, a British Red Cross Unit. His task was to lead a mobile unit that recovered injured soldiers and, all too often, bodies of fallen soldiers that need burial. During the war soldiers were typically buried near hospitals or battlefields and it was their comrades responsibility to mark their graves. Many of these records were lost or the simple crosses erected were damaged during the continued fighting. Fabian noticed the problems with this system and was very concerned that the graves would be lost forever. He and his unit took it upon themselves to start registering and caring for all the graves they could find.

Tyne Cot War Cemetery in Zonnebeke, Belgium

In 1915 the War Office recognized the work of Ware's unit and they officially became the Graves Registration Commission. During this time they received hundreds of letters from the soldier's relatives looking for information and photographs of their loved ones' graves. By 1917, 12,000 photographs had been sent to relatives around the world. Later in 1917, Ware grew further concerned about the fate of the graves once the war was over and became convinced an official organization was needed. With the support of the Prince of Wales, he submitted a request for this to the Imperial War Conference and unanimously his request was granted and the Imperial War Graves Commission was established on May 21, 1917. Later in 1960, the name was changed to the current name, "Commonwealth War Graves Commission", a decision made when the Commission recognized the name "Imperial" in the title was not in tune with post war strengthening of national and regional feelings.

From Bayeux War Cemetery in France

In addition to recording the details of each soldier the IWGC began creating lasting memorials and cemeteries to commemorate the fallen soldiers. Debates and disagreements then ensued over how they should be created but in the end four principals were agreed upon:

• Each of the dead should be commemorated by name on the headstone or memorial
• Headstones and memorials should be permanent
• Headstones should be uniform
• There should be no distinction made on account of military or civil rank, race or creed

 

By 1938 the building work for hundreds of memorials and cemeteries was complete but then only one year later WWII began and with it also began more burials. From WWII another 600,000 men and women were commemorated.

 In addition to the soldiers the Commission also recognized in WWII that casualties were no longer only military personnel and Ware insisted on the commemoration of the civilian deaths as well. Their over 66,000 names have been recorded on a roll of honour that was placed near St. George's Chapel at Westminster Abbey in 1956.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cares for cemeteries and memorials in 23,000 locations, in 153 countries. In all 1.7 million men and women from the Commonwealth forces from WWI and WWII have been honoured and commemorated in perpetuity.

Ranville War Cemetery in Ranville, France

To learn more about the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, find a cemetery or a fallen soldier please visit their very informative website. 

Working alongside the CWGC is the War Graves Photographic Project that have undertaken the huge task of recording, archiving and making available to descendants the images of the graves or memorial listings of every service casualty since the outbreak of WWI. As of 2013, with the help of a dedicated group of volunteers, they have been able to record over 1.7 million named graves and memorials and the task continues.

 

"I have many times asked myself whether there can be more potent advocates of peace upon earth through the years to come than this massed multitude of silent witnesses to the desolation of war."

 - King George V, Flanders, 1922