Central Powers :
162-714: Ypres Reservoir Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) burial ground for the dead of the First World War located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front . The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom in perpetuity by King Albert I of Belgium in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire in the defence and liberation of Belgium during
324-488: A Cross of Sacrifice designed by Blomfield, and a recommendation that a cross be placed in every cemetery. The war stones became known as the Stones of Remembrance , and more than a thousand were erected. Kipling proposed the inscription " their name liveth for evermore " for the monuments. For his work during the war, Ware was mentioned in despatches twice, including by Douglas Haig on 10 April 1919. The same year he
486-505: A double triangle on a stake [and] under no circumstances should a cross be erected over an Indian Grave." Efforts to neaten the cemeteries had begun in early 1916 when Ware invited Arthur William Hill , assistant director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew , to tour the cemeteries and advise upon further planting efforts. Hill visited 37 cemeteries and wrote a report on how to plant them. Efforts began slowly, but by 1917
648-478: A " double identity disc " (previously there was only one per soldier) began in 1915 and continued into early 1916. Ware wrote Macready on 21 June 1915; in the letter he included a sketch of a pair of discs made of compressed fibre – one could be removed and the other left with the corpse. On 24 June his proposal was accepted and four million were ordered. Discs began arriving in large numbers in mid-November. Such discs were issued to soldiers throughout
810-638: A Grave Registration Commission (GRC) on 2 March that was created from Ware's unit. The Commission represented a joint effort between the British Army and the British Red Cross. Ware initially divided the Commission into four regions with six men and four vehicles each, led by a headquarters of forty-four workers. On 22 May he was made a temporary major in the British Army to provide his work added authority. On 9 September
972-610: A backyard in Hallu , France. In April 2013, the remains of four British soldiers discovered by a French farmer clearing land with a metal detector in 2009 were re-interred at H.A.C. Cemetery near Arras , France. In March 2014, the remains of 20 Commonwealth and 30 German soldiers were discovered in Vendin-le-Vieil , France, with the Commonwealth soldiers being subsequently reburied at Loos British Cemetery. When
1134-744: A contract for Lebaudy Frères to build the Lebaudy Morning Post . In August, it was revealed that the Daily Mail had offered to pay for a hangar while an airship from Clément-Bayard was shipped to England. Ware rushed to ensure The Morning Post ' s airship arrived first, and by May 1910 he began helping plan the airship's route to England. However, the Clément-Bayard No.2 , sponsored by The Daily Mail , arrived in England on 16 October 1910. The War Office purchased
1296-455: A few exceptions, due to local geological conditions, the cemeteries follow the same design and uniform aesthetic all over the world. This makes the cemeteries easily recognisable and distinguishes them from war graves administered by other groups or countries. A typical cemetery is surrounded by a low wall or hedge and with a wrought-iron gate entrance. For cemeteries in France and Belgium,
1458-454: A land tablet near the entrance or along a wall identifies the cemetery grounds as having been provided by the French or Belgian governments. All but the smallest cemeteries contain a register with an inventory of the burials, a plan of the plots and rows, and a basic history of the cemetery. The register is located within a metal cupboard that is marked with a cross located in either the wall near
1620-455: A limited area, like along the Western Front or Gallipoli peninsula , mobile teams of gardeners operate from a local base. Elsewhere, larger cemeteries have their own dedicated staff while small cemeteries are usually tended by a single gardener working part-time. The affairs of the CWGC are overseen by a board of commissioners. The president of the board is HRH Princess Anne, Princess Royal ,
1782-572: A meeting on 20 June. Though many nations had given Britain control of their war graves and cemeteries in perpetuity, the Commission continued to seek similar concessions from other nations, including those who had fought against the United Kingdom during the war. One of the most difficult such areas was Gallipoli , which had been the site of the Gallipoli campaign . New Zealand and Australia, whose ANZAC forces had been heavily involved in
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#17327867798371944-474: A member. Ware was promoted to temporary lieutenant colonel on 11 February 1916 as a result of his increasing responsibility over grave-related matters as the war expanded to more fronts. Ware competed with Sir Alfred Mond , the First Commissioner of Works , for responsibility over the graveyards. The Department of Works had managed war graves during previous British conflicts, and Mond wanted
2106-407: A memorial. War dead are commemorated uniformly and equally, irrespective of military or civil rank, race or creed. The commission is currently responsible for the continued commemoration of 1.7 million deceased Commonwealth military service members in 153 countries. Since its inception, the commission has constructed approximately 2,500 war cemeteries and numerous memorials. The commission
2268-411: A mixture of floribunda roses and herbaceous perennials . Low-growing plants are chosen for areas immediately in front of headstones, ensuring that inscriptions are not obscured and preventing soil from splashing back during rain. In cemeteries where there are pedestal grave markers, dwarf varieties of plants are used instead. The absence of any form of paving between the headstone rows contributes to
2430-666: A record of Commonwealth civilian war deaths. A supplemental chapter was added to the Imperial War Graves Commission's charter on 7 February 1941, empowering the organisation to collect and record the names of civilians who died from enemy action during the Second World War, which resulted in the creation of the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour. The roll eventually contained the names of nearly 67,000 civilians. The Commission and
2592-477: A sense of peace in a setting, in contrast to traditionally bleak graveyards. Recommendations given by Arthur William Hill , the assistant director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew enabled the commission to develop cemetery layouts and architectural structures that took into account the placement of suitable plant life. Combining structural and horticultural elements were not unfamiliar to
2754-860: A share in managing graves from the First World War. Ware felt the scale of the war was so unprecedented a new organisation was needed to care for the graves and wanted to keep Mond out of the work. Though the feud continued into the 1930s, Ware's Commission was ensured priority when the GRC was formally integrated into the Army in May 1916 as the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries (DGRE). Representatives from various relevant government departments were included and in September 1916 representatives from
2916-495: A vote. Remnant withdrew his motion, allowing the commission to carry out its work assured of support for its principles. In 1921 the commission moved to offices at 82 Baker Street . Most cemeteries were completed by the mid-1920s, at a total cost of £8,150,000 (about £587.14 million in 2023 terms), in what was, according to architectural historian Gavin Stamp , "one of the largest schemes of public works ever undertaken". Following
3078-464: Is "A Soldier of the Great War known unto God ". Some headstones bear the text "believed to be buried in this cemetery" when the grave's exact location within the cemetery is not known. In some cases soldiers were buried in collective graves and distinguishing one body from another was not possible and thus one headstone covers more than one grave. The headstone does not denote any specific details of
3240-481: Is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars. The commission is also responsible for commemorating Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action during the Second World War . The commission
3402-419: Is currently responsible for the care of war dead at over 23,000 separate burial sites and the maintenance of more than 200 memorials worldwide. In addition to commemorating Commonwealth military service members, the commission maintains, under arrangement with applicable governments, over 40,000 non-Commonwealth war graves and over 25,000 non-war military and civilian graves. The commission operates through
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#17327867798373564-576: Is headquartered in Maidenhead , England. Offices or agencies that are each responsible for a specific geographical area manage the worldwide affairs of the organisation. They are: The CWGC's work is funded predominantly by grants from the governments of the six member states. In the fiscal year 2020/21, these grants amounted to £66.1 million of the organisation's £74.5 million of income. This equates to an approximate cost of CA$ 85 per commemorated war dead. The contribution from each country
3726-413: Is not known will contain the superscript " Buried elsewhere in this Cemetery ", "Known to be buried in this cemetery" or "Believed to be buried in this cemetery" . Many headstones are for unidentified casualties; they consequently bear only what could be discovered from the body. The epitaph, developed by Rudyard Kipling , that appears on the graves of unidentified soldiers for which no details are known
3888-403: Is proportionate to the number of graves the CWGC maintains on behalf of that country. The percentage of total annual contributions for which each country is responsible is United Kingdom 79%, Canada 10%, Australia 6%, New Zealand 2%, South Africa 2% and India 1%. Immediately following the First World War, the British Army remained responsible for the exhumation of remains. The Western Front
4050-399: The 1918 flu pandemic . The applicable periods of consideration are 4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921 for the First World War and 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947 for the Second World War. The end date for the First World War period is the official end of the war, while for the Second World War the Commission selected a date approximately the same period after VE Day as the official end of
4212-774: The Beaumont-Hamel Memorial by Newfoundland. The programme of commemorating the dead of the Great War was considered essentially complete with the inauguration of the Thiepval Memorial in 1932, though the Vimy Memorial would not be finished until 1936, the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial until 1938 and stonemasons were still conducting work on the Menin Gate when Germany invaded Belgium in 1940. The only memorial created by
4374-591: The Dean of Westminster reached an agreement that the roll would eventually be placed in Westminster Abbey but not until the roll was complete and hostilities had ended. The Commission handed over the first six volumes to the Dean of Westminster on 21 February 1956; it added the final volume to the showcase in 1958. Following the Second World War, the Commission recognised that the word 'Imperial' within its name
4536-603: The First World War started in August 1914, Ware attempted to join the British Army but was rejected because he was too old. With the assistance of Alfred Milner , he obtained an appointment as the commander of a mobile ambulance unit provided by the British Red Cross Society . In this role he began marking and recording the graves of those killed. The unit soon began to focus exclusively on graves, and
4698-706: The Gaza cemetery , which contains 3,691 graves, allegedly in retaliation for the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. On 24 February 2012, during the Libyan Civil War , Islamist militia damaged over 200 headstones in the Benghazi war cemetery, as well as the central memorial. In April 2021, a special committee of the CWGC published a report on historical inequalities in commemoration, concerning "failures to properly commemorate black and Asian troops" after
4860-1076: The Thiepval Memorial on the Somme and the Arras Memorial designed by Edwin Lutyens; and the Basra Memorial in Iraq designed by Edward Prioleau Warren . The Dominions and India also erected memorials on which they commemorated their missing: the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial for the forces of India, the Vimy Memorial by Canada, the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial by Australia, the Delville Wood Memorial by South Africa and
5022-787: The Turkish War of Independence , and in the Treaty of Lausanne the IWGC gained the right to land the Allies considered "necessary for the establishment of cemeteries for the regrouping of graves, for ossuaries or memorials". By 1926, the IWGC had built 31 cemeteries and five memorials on the peninsula. Ware travelled extensively after the war, visiting Canada (1925), Egypt (1929), India and Iraq (1930), and Australia and New Zealand (1934). The Commission faced criticism over not allowing individual memorials for soldiers, and repatriation of bodies of
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5184-511: The University of Aberdeen granted him an honorary doctorate . Upon the end of the First World War, the IWGC could fully begin work. When the war ended, cemeteries were in disarray and many soldiers were still unburied. Though it technically was not responsible for burials and Ware's proposals for a 'burial corps' were rejected, in practice the commission was held responsible for making sure all bodies were buried. Ware continued to work for
5346-610: The University of Paris , graduating with a Bachelor of Science in 1894. He worked as an assistant schoolmaster from 1889 to 1899; the last four years at the Bradford Grammar School . While teaching, he was occasionally employed as an examiner for the Civil Service Commission . He married Anna Margaret (1868–1952) on 1 August 1895; they had a daughter and a son. Ware began contributing articles to The Morning Post in 1899. He served as
5508-543: The Ypres Salient , the first monument the IWGC worked on, dated back to 1919, when Winston Churchill said, "I should like us to acquire the whole of the ruins of Ypres as a memorial [...] A more sacred place for the British race does not exist in the world". The Belgian government agreed to give Britain the ruins of the Menin Gate to build a memorial for Commonwealth soldiers whose graves were unknown. Reginald Blomfield
5670-687: The 1980s, with regular maintenance being impractical since after the Gulf War . The commission also provides support for war graves outside its traditional mandate. In 1982, the British Ministry of Defence requested the commission's assistance to design and construct cemeteries in the Falkland Islands for those killed during the Falklands War . Although these cemeteries are not Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries,
5832-555: The American Graves Registration Service . In 1918, three of the most eminent architects of their day, Sir Herbert Baker , Sir Reginald Blomfield , and Sir Edwin Lutyens were appointed as the organization's initial Principal Architects. Rudyard Kipling was appointed literary advisor for the language used for memorial inscriptions. In 1920, the Commission built three experimental cemeteries at Le Treport , Forceville and Louvencourt , following
5994-513: The American Graves Registration were permitted to repatriate the remains of an unknown number of American citizens who were in service of a Commonwealth nation during the Second World War. In 1949, the Commission completed Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery , the first of 559 new cemeteries and 36 new memorials. Eventually, the Commission erected over 350,000 new headstones, many from Hopton Wood stone . The wider scale of
6156-477: The Care of Soldiers' Graves was created with the intention of taking over the work of the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries after the war. The government felt that it was more appropriate to entrust the work to a specially appointed body rather than to any existing government department. By early 1917, a number of members of the committee believed a formal imperial organisation would be needed to care for
6318-508: The Commission are no exception. The Commission believes that graffiti and damage to stonework are usually the work of young people, noting that the number of incidents increases when schoolchildren are on school holidays. Metal theft is also a problem: determined thieves target the bronze swords from the Cross of Sacrifice, which are now replaced with replicas made of fibreglass. The vandalism of Commission cemeteries has also been connected to
6480-466: The Commission in 1948 and died the following year. Ware was born in Clifton, Bristol , on 17 June 1869 to Charles and Amy Carew Ware, née Goulstone. He was privately tutored until his father died when he was 18. Ware then taught in private schools to pay for tuition at the University of London . Dissatisfied with his education, Ware left the university and after saving enough money began attending
6642-604: The Commission manages the administrative responsibilities for them. Since 2005, the commission has carried out similar management duties on behalf of the British Ministry of Defence for cemeteries and graves of British and Imperial soldiers who died during the Second Boer War . In 2003, Veterans Affairs Canada employed the commission to develop an approach to locate grave markers for which the Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs has responsibility. As of 2011,
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6804-615: The Commission that was not in the form of a monument or cemetery was the Memorial Ophthalmic Laboratory at Giza , Egypt —complete with library, and bacteriology and pathology departments—as its memorial to men of the Egyptian Labour Corps and Camel Transport Corps . Its erection was agreed with local political pressure. From the start of the Second World War in 1939, the Commission organised grave registration units and, planning ahead based on
6966-487: The Cross of Sacrifice, the design for the stone deliberately avoided "shapes associated with particular religions". The geometry of the structure was based on studies of the Parthenon . Each stone is 12 feet (3.5 m) long and 5 feet (1.5 m) high. The shape of the stone has been compared both to that of a sarcophagus and an altar . The feature was designed using the principle of entasis . The subtle curves in
7128-516: The DGRE expanded operations to areas outside France and Belgium. Only one-fifth of the typists Ware had requested initially arrived, but his staff eventually grew to around 700. The DGRE had expanded to include an Italian and an Eastern section; the latter included Salonika , Egypt, and Mesopotamia . Ware was soon given the nickname 'Lord Wargraves', reflecting his heavy involvement in grave-matters. As Ware's work with graves continued, discussion about
7290-503: The Fallen . The illustrated booklet was intended to soften the impact of Kenyon's report as it included illustrations of cemeteries with mature trees and shrubs; contrasting the bleak landscapes depicted in published battlefield photos. There was an immediate public outcry following the publication of the reports, particularly with regards to the decision to not repatriate the bodies of the dead. The reports generated considerable discussion in
7452-680: The First World War was after the 1918 Armistice. Civilians who died as a result of enemy action during the Second World War are commemorated differently from those that died as a result of military service. They are commemorated by name through the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour located in St George's Chapel in Westminster Abbey. In addition to its mandated duties, the commission maintains, under arrangement with applicable governments, over 40,000 non-Commonwealth war graves and over 25,000 non-war military and civilian graves. As well as
7614-421: The First World War, individual commemoration of war dead was often on an ad hoc basis and was almost exclusively limited to commissioned officers. However, the war required mobilisation of a significant percentage of the population, either as volunteers or through conscription . An expectation had consequently arisen that individual soldiers would expect to be commemorated, even if they were low-ranking members of
7776-543: The First World War. A set of public statements by CWGC and the Special Committee on the issue and the next steps to be taken were published on the CWGC website, and the defence secretary Ben Wallace made an official apology in the House of Commons. Fabian Ware Major-General Sir Fabian Arthur Goulstone Ware KCVO KBE CB CMG (17 June 1869 – 28 April 1949)
7938-488: The French government. In 1912 he published The Worker and His Country , which historians John Lack and Bart Ziino describe as "an alarmist diagnosis of social unrest in France and Britain". In the book, Ware advocated for land redistribution to ease tensions between British social classes. With the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, the Royal Automobile Club began assisting the war effort with
8100-543: The IWGC's business as Ware handled political issues. Ware was considered one of the faces of the commission, and gave annual Remembrance Day addresses to the United Kingdom to urge against future wars. He also had a film made, gave lectures, and organised photographic exhibits about the IWGC's work. At the Imperial War Conference in June 1918 it was agreed to make funding for the commission proportional to
8262-512: The IWGC's cemeteries. On 22 November Ware formally announced that there would be no difference "between officers and men lying in the same cemeteries in the form or nature of the memorials". In 1918 Lutyens, Baker, and Reginald Blomfield were appointed the commission's principal architects. In 1918 Kenyon finished his report, titled War Graves: How the Cemeteries Abroad Will Be Designed, and presented it to
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#17327867798378424-588: The North cemetery. The cemetery at the Infantry Barracks was also concentrated into the North cemetery, with additional scattered graves from nearby areas added later. The cemetery was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield who was also responsible for the nearby Menin Gate memorial. Also within the cemetery is a cross of sacrifice . The cemetery contains the graves of some 2702 soldiers. Amongst these are
8586-1001: The Red Cross for this purpose. In March 1915, with the support of Nevil Macready , Adjutant-General of the British Expeditionary Force , Ware's work was given official recognition and support by the Imperial War Office and the unit was transferred to the British Army as the Graves Registration Commission. The new Graves Registration Commission had over 31,000 graves of British and Imperial soldiers registered by October 1915 and 50,000 registered by May 1916. When municipal graveyards began to overfill Ware began negotiations with various local authorities to acquire land for further cemeteries. Ware began with an agreement with France to build joint British and French cemeteries under
8748-541: The Red Cross to fund durable grave markers. By December, the unit had dealt with more than four thousand wounded soldiers. Ware began to focus on searching for dead soldiers on battlefields in northern France. In February 1915 the unit asked Reginald Brade to help ensure the unit's continuing work and Ware unsuccessfully applied for a pass from the provost marshal at St Omer to continue grave work. The unit's usefulness as an ambulance group declined as French capabilities to handle their casualties increased. In early 1915
8910-407: The Red Cross, the Catholic Church, and the United States to serve as intermediaries. At the Paris Peace Conference from 1919 to 1920 , the IWGC pushed for the right to land on Gallipoli —called the 'ANZAC estate'—as soon as possible. Ware was personally involved in these negotiations. The Commission gained such a concession in the Treaty of Sèvres , signed in August 1920. Renegotiation occurred after
9072-456: The Republic of South Africa to the United Kingdom, Jeremiah Nyamane Mamabolo; the High Commissioner for India to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami ; the High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom, Ralph E. Goodale ; Keryn James; Sir Tim Hitchens; Vice Admiral Peter Hudson ; Hon Philip Dunne; Dame Diana Johnson ; Vasuki Shastry; Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas ; Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst ; Air Marshal Sir Stuart Atha . The CWGC
9234-421: The Roll of Honour maintained at Westminster Abbey. The majority of the casualties commemorated on the Brookwood 1914–1918 Memorial are servicemen and women identified by the In From The Cold Project as having died while in care of their families and were not commemorated by the Commission at the time. Cemeteries, including those of war dead, are targets for vandalism. The gravestones, cemeteries and buildings of
9396-541: The Second World War and until the German reunification because it was located in an area occupied by Russian forces and was not entirely rebuilt until 2005. The Six-Day War and War of Attrition resulted in the destruction of Port Tewfik Memorial and Aden Memorial, and the death of a Commission gardener at Suez War Memorial Cemetery. During the Lebanese Civil War two cemeteries in Beirut were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. The maintenance of war graves and memorials in Iraq has remained difficult since Iran–Iraq War in
9558-430: The Second World War, coupled with manpower shortages and unrest in some countries, meant that the construction and restoration programmes took much longer. In Albania the graves of 52 of the 54 graves of British SOE personnel had been reburied in Tirana before Major McIntosh from the CWGC Florence base was expelled by the new regime. Three-quarters of the original graves had been in "difficult" or remote locations. Following
9720-456: The Second World War. Commonwealth military service members are commemorated by name on either a headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on a memorial. As a result, the commission is currently responsible for the care of war dead at over 23,000 separate burial sites and maintenance of more than 200 memorials worldwide. The vast majority of burial sites are pre-existing communal or municipal cemeteries and parish churchyards located in
9882-424: The Transvaal Colony where, as a member of Milner's Kindergarten , he became Director of Education in 1903. Two years later, Ware became editor of The Morning Post and returned to England. While editor, he expanded the paper and reoriented it to focus on colonial affairs. After several controversies, culminating in a failed effort to purchase an airship for the United Kingdom, Ware was forced to retire in 1911. When
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#173278677983710044-445: The Transvaal and Orange River Colony —returned to England in failing health. On 17 June 1903 Ware was made a member of the Transvaal Legislative Council , and in July he became permanent director of education for the Transvaal. Author Ernst Gideon Malherbe [ de ] wrote that as a member of the council Ware was "probably the only South African Superintendent of Education that has represented education directly before
10206-437: The Transvaal and stopped writing for The Morning Post . As assistant director Ware chaired two committees in 1902 and 1903 on the topic of technical education in the colony. The Transvaal Technical Institute was created in early 1904 upon their recommendations. Ware served as chairman of the institute's council. In early 1903 Ware became acting director of education when Edmund Beale Sargant —the director of education for
10368-598: The United Kingdom, however the commission has itself constructed approximately 2,500 war cemeteries worldwide. The commission has also constructed or commissioned memorials to commemorate the dead who have no known grave; the largest of these is the Thiepval Memorial . The Commission only commemorates those who have died during the designated war years, while in Commonwealth military service or of causes attributable to service. Death in service included not only those killed in combat but other causes such as those that died in training accidents, air raids and due to disease such as
10530-404: The Victoria Cross or George Cross emblem. Sometimes a soldier employed a pseudonym because he was too young to serve or was sought by law enforcement; in such cases his primary name is shown along with the notation " served as" . Some American citizens who served with Commonwealth forces during the Second World War have the notation "Of U.S.A." . Those whose exact burial location within a cemetery
10692-422: The airship and the National Airship Fund was left out of negotiations. The Lebaudy Morning Post was damaged when it arrived in England ten days after the Clément-Bayard No.2 because its hangar was too small, and it crashed on its first test flight. Ware was accused by H. Massac Buist and Lancelot Julian Bathurst, the paper's manager and Lady Bathurst's brother-in-law, of financial mismanagement and poorly managing
10854-403: The assistance of Lord Milner. He arrived in France and took command of the unit on 19 September 1914. One of several Red Cross units in France, Ware's unit operated in northern France as a semi-autonomous command. He had a degree of independence afforded by the Joint Finance Committee of St John Ambulance and the Red Cross, who gave Ware his own operating budget for three-month periods. Ware
11016-426: The cemetery entrance or in a shelter within the cemetery. More recently, in larger sites, a stainless steel notice gives details of the respective military campaign. The headstones within the cemetery are of a uniform size and design and mark plots of equal size. The cemetery grounds are, except in drier climates, grass-covered with a floral border around the headstones. There is also an absence of any paving between
11178-411: The chairman is the United Kingdom's secretary of State for Defence , John Healey MP , and the vice chairman is Vice Admiral Peter Hudson CB CBE . Claire Horton was appointed Director-General of the CWGC in 2020 The members are: the High Commissioner for New Zealand to the United Kingdom, Phil Goff ; the High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith ; the High Commissioner of
11340-399: The commander of the French 10th Army Corps declined an offer of help from the unit. When the unit was disbanded in May 1915, it had dealt with 12,000 casualties and treated 1,000 at its hospital. Ware met with the Adjutant-General to the Forces , Nevil Macready , in mid-February 1915 to discuss the future of his work. With the support of Macready the British Army formally recognised
11502-455: The commission conducts a twelve-year cyclical inspection programme of Canadian veterans' markers installed at the expense of the Government of Canada . In 2008, an exploratory excavation discovered mass graves on the edge of Pheasant Wood outside of Fromelles . Two-hundred and fifty British and Australian bodies were excavated from five mass graves which were interred in the newly constructed Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery . This
11664-684: The commission had established four nurseries. In the 1917 New Year Honours , Ware was made a companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George (CMG). By April 1917 the DGRE had registered over 156,500 graves; at least 150,000 in France and Belgium, 2,500 in Salonika and 4,000 in Egypt. By early 1917 several members of the National Committee for the Care of Soldiers' Graves believed a formal imperial organisation would be needed to care for
11826-410: The commission on 4 May 1920. Sir James Remnant started the debate, followed by numerous speakers; notably speeches by Burdett-Coutts in favour of the commission's principles and Lord Robert Cecil (Lady Florence Cecil's brother-in-law) supporting those who wanted repatriation and opposed uniformity of grave markers. Winston Churchill closed the debate and asked that the issue not proceed to
11988-518: The commission to carry out its work assured of support for its principles. The 1920 United States Public Law 66-175 ensured American citizens who were killed while in service of a Commonwealth nation were eligible for burial in national cemeteries in the United States However, the commission made no repatriation policy exception for American citizens and attempts to retrieve loved ones from Commonwealth cemeteries were not supported by
12150-738: The commission was to serve as "the sole intermediary between the British Army in the Field and the French Military and Civil Authorities in all matters relating to graves". He thus led negotiations between France and Britain beginning in March 1915, particularly with the French Grand Quartier Général , Ministry of War and Ministry of the Interior . These negotiations attempted to resolve areas of disagreement between
12312-520: The commission's architects. Sir Edwin Lutyens furthered his long-standing working relationship with horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll , whose devotion to traditional cottage garden plants and roses greatly influenced the appearance of the cemeteries. Where possible, indigenous plants were utilised to enhance sentimental associations with the gardens of home. Variety in texture, height and timing of floral display were equally important horticultural considerations. The beds around each headstone are planted with
12474-445: The commission, undertaking negotiations with foreign nations and hiring further professionals. As people would soon begin visiting, the IWGC rushed to make the cemeteries presentable. The commission began building experimental cemeteries at Le Tréport , Forceville and Louvencourt in 1918. These were complete in early 1920 and were generally positively received, particularly the one at Forceville. Various changes were made based on
12636-491: The commission, and worked to ensure the commission's financial security. Ware also attempted to raise support for his ideal of cooperation between the Dominions . In the lead-up to the Second World War , he attempted to use the IWGC's work as a tool for ensuring peace. When war broke out, he continued to serve as vice-chairman of the IWGC and was re-appointed director-general of Graves Registration and Enquiries. He retired from
12798-489: The commission, or won competitions for the Commission memorials, included George Salway Nicol, Harold Chalton Bradshaw , Verner Owen Rees, Gordon H. Holt, and Henry Philip Cart de Lafontaine. In January 1944, Edward Maufe was appointed Principal Architect for the UK. Maufe worked extensively for the commission for 25 years until 1969, becoming Chief Architect and also succeeding Kenyon as Artistic Advisor. Together with Maufe,
12960-465: The commission, with the support of the Red Cross, began to dispatch photographic prints and cemetery location information in answer to the requests. The Graves Registration Commission became the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries in the spring of 1916 in recognition of the fact that the scope of work began to extend beyond simple grave registration and began to include responding to enquiries from relatives of those killed. The directorate's work
13122-408: The commission. He also looked into establishing a 'Religious Advisory Committee' to help settle religious questions. As Aitken's replacement, Frederic G. Kenyon was made artistic director of the Commission on 20 November 1917, largely to serve as a mediator in frequent conflicts between the architects. As part of his job he began to write a report deciding which proposals would be instituted in
13284-439: The commission. The report outlined many factors of how the cemeteries would be designed, particularly emphasising equal treatment of all soldiers. It also supported the programme of planting under Arthur Hill. Kenyon proposed having young architects design the cemeteries under the supervision of more experienced and senior architects such as Baker and Lutyens. Kenyon accepted Lutyens proposal and critics were appeased by support for
13446-560: The condition that cemeteries respected certain dimensions, were accessible by public road, were in the vicinity of medical aid stations and were not too close to towns or villages. Similar negotiations began with the Belgian government. As reports of the grave registration work became public, the commission began to receive letters of enquiry and requests for photographs of graves from relatives of deceased soldiers. By 1917, 17,000 photographs had been dispatched to relatives. In March 1915,
13608-593: The continued financial support of the member states: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. The current and first ever Patron of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is King Charles III . The current president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is Anne, Princess Royal . At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Fabian Ware , a director of the Rio Tinto Company , found that he
13770-641: The creation of the Royal Automobile Club Volunteer Force . On 12 September 1914 several members of the club volunteered their services to the British Red Cross , which established the Motor Ambulance Department. Ware—who was 45 years old—had been rejected from serving in the British Army because he was too old, and obtained an appointment to command a mobile Red Cross ambulance unit with
13932-572: The dead, including in a petition spearheaded by Lady Florence Cecil (wife of William Cecil , the Bishop of Exeter) that was presented to the Prince of Wales in spring 1920 with over eight thousand signatures. Ware worked with William Burdett-Coutts , an MP, to write statements urging Parliament to allow the IWGC to continue its work. The disagreements led to a debate in Parliament over funding of
14094-568: The death except for its date, and even then only if it is known, and are deliberately ambiguous about the cause of death. Due to local conditions it was sometimes necessary for the commission to deviate from its standard design. In places prone to extreme weather or earthquakes, such as Thailand and Turkey, stone-faced pedestal markers are used instead of the normal headstones. These measures are intended to prevent masonry being damaged during earthquakes or sinking into sodden ground. In Italy, headstones were carved from Chiampo Perla limestone because it
14256-585: The design, if extended, would form a sphere 1,801 feet 8 inches (549.15 m) in diameter. Every grave is marked with a headstone . Each headstone contains the national emblem or regimental badge, rank, name, unit, date of death and age of each casualty inscribed above an appropriate religious symbol and a more personal dedication chosen by relatives. The headstones use a standard upper case lettering, Headstone Standard Alphabet, designed by MacDonald Gill . Individual graves are arranged, where possible, in straight rows and marked by uniform headstones,
14418-611: The district which had been overrun by the Germans during the retreat from Mons , and to convey them back to the British lines or to a British base". However, by early October 1914, the unit had begun extensively working with the French and handling their casualties. By mid-October, Ware's unit had added a medical staff and mobile light hospital. That month Ware visited an extension of the Béthune cemetery which had British graves not maintained and some not even recorded. He soon convinced
14580-583: The dominions of the British Empire were included. Ware was made director of Graves Registration and Enquiries at the War Office on 15 May 1916, a post he held until the end of the war. That month he began working in London at Winchester House, St James's Square . The move to London was in part because it was easier to develop photographs and women could work as clerks. It also became necessary as
14742-425: The end of 1919, the commission had spent £7,500, and this figure rose to £250,000 in 1920 as construction of cemeteries and memorials increased. By 1921, the commission had established 1,000 cemeteries which were ready for headstone erections, and burials. Between 1920 and 1923, the commission was shipping 4,000 headstones a week to France. In many cases, the Commission closed small cemeteries and concentrated
14904-435: The end of the First World War. Once land for cemeteries and memorials had been guaranteed, the enormous task of recording the details of the dead could begin. By 1918, some 587,000 graves had been identified and a further 559,000 casualties were registered as having no known grave. The scale, and associated high number of casualties, of the war produced an entirely new attitude towards the commemoration of war dead. Previous to
15066-536: The end of the war, there was an influx of Commonwealth organisations that wanted to construct memorials in France and Belgium. Private divisional monuments and memorials for individual countries were quickly proposed and the National Battlefield Memorial Committee was set up in 1919 to oversee the construction of monuments for the United Kingdom. Ware and the IWGC had the ability to license all such memorials and he began working with
15228-465: The experience gained from the First World War, earmarked land for use as cemeteries. When the war began turning in favour of the Allies, the commission was able to begin restoring its First World War cemeteries and memorials. It also began the task of commemorating the 600,000 Commonwealth casualties from the Second World War. As with the First World War, casualties were commemorated with uniform memorials and bodies should not be repatriated. Exceptionally,
15390-460: The experimental cemeteries; notably cutting the cost of building cemeteries. The commission's work continued rapidly; by April 1920, there had been 128,577 re-interments in France and Belgium and the IWGC was managing 788 cemeteries. In March 1920 Ware predicted there would be more than half a million graves in 1,200 cemeteries in France and Belgium. Charles Holden was made a fourth principal architect that year. Herbert Ellison managed most of
15552-533: The fighting, felt strongly that the IWGC should secure land for a cemetery. Charles Bean , the influential journalist and author of Australia's official war history proposed that "the complete Anzac site, including the Turkish trenches on the reverse slope adjoining it, be vested in the Graves Commission". Ware had unsuccessfully attempted to begin negotiations with Turkey in 1917, separately asking
15714-501: The graves after the war. With the help of the Prince of Wales, Ware submitted a memorandum to the Imperial War Conference in 1917 suggesting that such an organisation be constituted. The suggestion was accepted and on 21 May 1917 the Imperial War Graves Commission was established by royal charter, with the Prince of Wales serving as president and Secretary of State for War Lord Derby as chairman. The IWGC had
15876-466: The graves into larger ones. By 1927, when the majority of construction had been completed, over 500 cemeteries had been built, with 400,000 headstones, a thousand Crosses of Sacrifice, and 400 Stones of Remembrance. The commission had also been mandated to individually commemorate each soldier who had no known grave, which amounted to 315,000 in France and Belgium alone. The Commission initially decided to build 12 monuments on which to commemorate
16038-574: The graves of three men executed by the Commonwealth military authorities – Privates Moles, Lawrence and McColl. Lewis Robertson , who played Rugby union for Scotland, is buried in this cemetery. Also buried at this cemetery is Brigadier General Francis Aylmer Maxwell , a holder of the Victoria Cross who was killed in Ypres by a sniper in 1917. Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( CWGC )
16200-479: The graves. With the help of Edward, Prince of Wales , Ware submitted a memorandum to the Imperial War Conference in 1917 suggesting that an imperial organisation be constituted. The suggestion was accepted and on 21 May 1917 the Imperial War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter, with the Prince of Wales serving as president, Secretary of State for War Lord Derby as chairman and Ware as vice-chairman. The commission's undertakings began in earnest at
16362-455: The headstone rows which is intended to make the cemetery feel like a traditional walled garden where visitors could experience a sense of peace. However, Carter and Jackson argue that the uniform aesthetics are designed to evoke a positive experience which deliberately masks and sanitises the nature of the war deaths. Typically, cemeteries of more than 40 graves contain a Cross of Sacrifice designed by architect Reginald Blomfield . This cross
16524-540: The insignia of a commander of the Belgian Ordre de la Couronne . That month Belgium granted Britain land for cemeteries in perpetuity. Similar agreements were soon negotiated with Egypt, Italy, Serbia, and Greece. Once land for cemeteries and memorials had been guaranteed, the task of recording the details of the dead could fully begin. Around 587,000 graves had been identified and 559,000 soldiers listed as having no known grave by 1918. On 7 October 1918 Ware
16686-404: The inter-war period and after the Second World War, included William Reid Dick , Ernest Gillick , Basil Gotto , Alfred Turner , Laurence A. Turner , Walter Gilbert , Henry Poole , Vernon Hill , Robert Anning Bell , Ferdinand Victor Blundstone , Joseph Armitage, and Gilbert Bayes . Structural design has always played an important part in the commission's cemeteries. Apart from
16848-572: The legislature". Under Ware, the number of children in education in the Transvaal doubled in less than four years. As director, he advocated the eventual creation of a de-centralised system of education with responsibility largely in the hands of local authorities. When the editor-in-chief of The Morning Post , James Nicol Dunn , resigned during the Russo–Japanese War , Ware had written to Oliver Borthwick and asked whether he could work on
17010-529: The main Principal Architects for France and Belgium (Baker, Blomfield and Lutyens), there were Principal Architects appointed for other regions as well. Sir Robert Lorimer was Principal Architect for Italy, Macedonia and Egypt, while Sir John James Burnet was Principal Architect for Palestine and Gallipoli, assisted by Thomas Smith Tait . The Principal Architect for Mesopotamia was Edward Prioleau Warren. As well as these senior architects, there
17172-604: The majority of the dead and the sword represents the military character of the cemetery, intended to link British soldiers and the Christian concept of self-sacrifice. Cemeteries with more than 1000 burials typically have a Stone of Remembrance , designed by Edwin Lutyens with the inscription " Their name liveth for evermore " . The concept of the Stone of Remembrance stone was developed by Rudyard Kipling to commemorate those of all faiths and none respectively. In contrast to
17334-538: The military. A committee under Frederic Kenyon , Director of the British Museum , presented a report to the Commission in November 1918 detailing how it envisioned the development of the cemeteries. Two key elements of this report were that bodies should not be repatriated and that uniform memorials should be used to avoid class distinctions. Beyond the logistical nightmare of returning home so many corpses, it
17496-486: The missing; each memorial being located at the site of an important battle along the Western Front. After resistance from the French committee responsible for the approvals of memorials on French territory, the Commission revised their plan and reduced the number of memorials, and in some cases built memorials to the missing in existing cemeteries rather than as separate structures. Reginald Blomfield's Menin Gate
17658-505: The number of soldiers each nation had lost based on figures submitted by Ware. The United Kingdom funded the vast majority of the commission's work – around 80%. His £10 figure had become standard reckoning, and in November 1918 the IWCG created a finance committee. In May and June 1919, Ware argued that the IWGC should be made independent of HM Treasury , which was observing the commission's finances, and this largely occurred after
17820-589: The organisation was transferred to the British Army in 1915. The following year the Army Department of Graves Registration and Enquiries was created with Ware at its head. On 21 May 1917 the Imperial War Graves Commission was founded. Ware served as vice-chairman. He ended the war as a major-general, having been mentioned in despatches twice. Post-war, Ware was heavily involved in the IWGC's function. He frequently led negotiations with foreign nations over cemeteries and memorials, dealt with prominent figures in
17982-463: The other Principal Architects appointed during and after the Second World War were Hubert Worthington , Louis de Soissons , Philip Hepworth and Colin St Clair Oakes . Leading sculptors that worked on the memorials and cemeteries after the First World War included Eric Henri Kennington , Charles Thomas Wheeler , Gilbert Ledward , and Charles Sargeant Jagger . Other sculptors, both in
18144-596: The paper by hiring Richard Jebb as a contributor, who in turn hired many other correspondents. The two began to focus the paper on the British Dominions , a move they presented as a means to increase the paper's circulation; though it allowed for new sources of advertising, the move did not lead to higher circulation. Ware aimed to make the paper "the authority on all colonial questions," and supported social and tariff reform . He invited radicals such as William Beveridge and R. H. Tawney to contribute to
18306-664: The paper's manager. Ware also supported Richard Jebb's campaign against respected conservative Robert Cecil for the Marylebone East Parliament seat – which cost the paper readership. After the First Moroccan Crisis in 1905, Ware campaigned heavily against war with Germany. He later said we threw the whole weight of the Morning Post against war with Germany. I am ashamed that I did not understand what we were doing at
18468-537: The paper's staff. Several years later, in April 1905, Lord Glenesk offered the editorship of The Morning Post to Ware, in part through Milner's influence. Ware accepted, and moved back to England, taking the position in March. Historian A. J. A. Morris writes that Glenesk intended for Ware to "be the much needed new broom" for the paper. When Ware became editor, The Morning Post had no offices. Its staff worked instead in temporary wooden sheds. He began expanding
18630-402: The paper. Shortly after beginning work, Ware came into conflict with Glenesk, who thought he should not promote tariff reform, and wrote asking Lord Glenesk's daughter, Lady Bathurst , to intervene and threatening to resign. As a result of his initiatives, Ware was disliked by some members of the paper's staff, particularly Spenser Wilkinson , the paper's leader writer , and E. E. Peacock ,
18792-430: The paper. After threatening to sue Lancelot Julian Bathurst over libel , Ware was given £3,000 and agreed to retire. His retirement was announced on 14 June 1911. After leaving The Morning Post , Ware planned to create a weekly paper independent from political parties, with funding from various British Dominions. The project was unsuccessful. Ware became a special commissioner for Rio Tinto Limited , negotiating with
18954-593: The participation of Commonwealth countries in contemporary conflicts. In the 1970s, during the Troubles , Commission cemeteries in Ireland experienced vandalism. Vandals defaced the central memorial of the Étaples Military Cemetery in northern France with anti-British and anti-American graffiti on 20 March 2003 immediately after the beginning of the Iraq War . On 9 May 2004, thirty-three headstones were demolished in
19116-455: The perceived military deficiency of the United Kingdom and Germany's successful test of a Zeppelin , The Morning Post announced the creation of a National Airship Fund on 21 June 1909. The aim of the fund was to raise £20,000 through public subscription to purchase the United Kingdom an airship. Lady Bathurst contributed an initial £2,000 to the fund. Ware travelled to Paris in July and signed
19278-436: The press which ultimately led to a heated debate in Parliament on 4 May 1920. Sir James Remnant started the debate, followed by speeches by William Burdett-Coutts in favour of the commission's principles and Robert Cecil speaking for those desiring repatriation and opposing uniformity of grave markers. Winston Churchill closed the debate and asked that the issue not proceed to a vote. Remnant withdrew his motion, allowing
19440-547: The principles outlined in the Kenyon report. Of these, the Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension was agreed to be the most successful. Having consulted with garden designer Gertrude Jekyll , the architects created a walled cemetery with uniform headstones in a garden setting, augmented by Blomfield's Cross of Sacrifice and Lutyens' Stone of Remembrance . After some adjustments, Forceville became
19602-555: The promotion was antedated to 22 February 1915. The GRC's work continued to rapidly expand through 1915: by May 4,300 graves had been registered. That spring Ware began serving as an intermediary between the French and British governments over grave-related matters. The GRC was reorganised in summer 1915 into eight sections and began handling requests at a headquarters in Lillers . The sections worked on grave maintenance. By mid-August, 18,173 graves had been registered. Ware's role in
19764-677: The public periodically results in the identification of previously buried casualties. The archival records of the commission are open to the public to permit individuals to conduct their own research. In December 2013, it was discovered that Second Lieutenant Philip Frederick Cormack, who was previously commemorated on the Arras Flying Services Memorial, had in fact been buried in a French military cemetery in Machelen , East Flanders in Belgium. Sergeant Leonard Maidment
19926-455: The re-organisation of naval matters". He said that if the newspaper did not adopt that stance, "I cannot ... continue to accept the responsibility of its editorship." Wilkinson considered the letter "a demand that I should abandon my sincerity as a writer, that is commit suicide". He felt Ware wanted "to hasten a war with Germany while I hope it may be averted by proper attention to navy and army and by sound foreign policy". In response to
20088-527: The remains of a Commonwealth soldier from the First or Second World War is discovered the commission is notified, and a Commission burial officer tries to collect any associated artefacts that may help identify the individual. The details are then registered and archived at the commission's headquarters. Evidence used for identification purposes may include artifacts found with the remains, anthropological data and DNA. Investigation of archival records by members of
20250-826: The representative of the Education Committee of the Royal British Commission at the Exposition Universelle of 1900 in Paris and afterwards worked as an inspector of schools for the Board of Education . In October 1901 Ware was appointed assistant director of education in the Transvaal by Alfred Milner, 1st Viscount Milner , becoming a member of an informal group of young Britons later known as Milner's Kindergarten . He moved to
20412-407: The responsibility for soldiers of members of the British Empire who died in active service. At its first meeting on 20 November, Ware was appointed vice-chairman. Historian Tim Skelton wrote that he was " de facto , chief executive" of the commission. The IWGC could purchase land, build memorials, and restrict other memorials in the cemeteries. In September 1917 Ware was given authority to wear
20574-583: The rest of the First World War and the Second World War despite the fibre decomposing quickly. The British Army stopped using the design in 1960. While director, Ware was made a temporary brigadier-general on 12 August 1916. The DGRE regulated graves, making every aspect from spacing of graves to marking the graves uniform. He attempted to resolve differences between soldiers of different religious affiliations, decreeing for instance: "On no account should [Egyptian] Mohammedans be buried in Christian consecrated ground [...] Jewish graves were to be marked with
20736-558: The simplicity of the cemetery designs. Lawn paths add to the garden ambience and are irrigated during the dry season in countries where there is insufficient rain. Where irrigation is inappropriate or impractical, dry landscaping is an ecological alternative favoured by the commission's horticulturists, as is the case in Iraq. Drier areas require a different approach not only for lawns but also to plants and styles of planting. Similarly, there are separate horticultural considerations in tropical climates. When many cemeteries are concentrated within
20898-584: The standard sum for the IWGC. On 9 July a committee organised by Ware, consisting of the Director of the Tate , Charles Aitken , the author J. M. Barrie , and the architects Lutyens and Herbert Baker , toured the cemeteries in order to form a plan for the post-war activities of the commission. The committee met on 14 July and decided all cemeteries should have a general theme, though one had not yet been decided. They agreed there would be four variations on
21060-452: The template for the commission's building programme. Cost overruns at all three experimental cemeteries necessitated some adjustments. To ensure future cemeteries remained within their budget the Commission decided to not build shelters in cemeteries that contained less than 200 graves, to not place a Stone of Remembrance in any cemetery with less than 400 graves, and to limit the height of cemetery walls to 1 metre (3.3 ft). At
21222-500: The theme: monumental, garden or woodland, village, and town cemeteries; and grave markers would be uniform, with no individual crosses or monuments. In August Lutyens suggested there be "one kind of monument throughout [the cemeteries], whether in Europe, Asia, or Africa". He suggested that his Great War Stones be used as the monument. On 21 September Ware, Hill, Lutyens, and Baker met in London to discuss preliminary plans. No agreement
21384-444: The three years following the conclusion of the general search 38,000 bodies were discovered. In the mid-1920s, 20 to 30 bodies were being discovered weekly. The discovery of remains of First and Second World War casualties remains a common occurrence, with approximately 30 bodies discovered annually. For example, in 2006 eight bodies of Canadian soldiers from the 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers), CEF were discovered in
21546-423: The time. I now believe that England ought to have fought Germany then—at any rate she is every month becoming less prepared, relatively to Germany to fight her than she was then. When Glenesk died in November, Lady Bathurst became owner of the paper. Lady Bathurst and Ware generally got along as they both held a political stance firmly to the right - though Ware's instincts for social reform were very strong. Ware
21708-457: The two nations, particularly that of land expropriation for the cemeteries. The negotiations resulted in an "expropriation bill" which was presented to the Chamber of Deputies in July. Ware shepherded the bill through its passage, urging prominent British figures such as the adjutant-general and King George V to support it. By May 1916, the GRC had selected 200 sites for cemeteries. The law
21870-429: The understanding that these would be maintained by the French government. Ware eventually concluded that it was not prudent to leave the maintenance responsibilities solely to the French government and subsequently arranged for France to purchase the land (under the law of 29 December 1915 ), grant it in perpetuity, and leave the management and maintenance responsibilities to the British. The French government agreed under
22032-419: The various groups. Although Ware felt the primary focus of the IWGC should be cemeteries, by August 1921 it had gained responsibility for battlefield monuments as the National Battlefield Memorial Committee was dissolved. The Commission planned to build twelve monuments to missing soldiers in France and Belgium, and several others to sailors lost at sea and across Europe. Discussions on how to commemorate
22194-413: The vast majority of which are made of Portland stone . The original headstone dimensions were 30 inches (76 cm) tall, 15 in (38 cm) wide, and 3 in (7.6 cm) thick. Most headstones are inscribed with a cross, except for those deceased known to be atheist or non-Christian. In the case of burials of Victoria Cross or George Cross recipients, the regimental badge is supplemented by
22356-408: The war, the Commission implemented a five-year horticultural renovation programme which addressed neglect by 1950. Structural repairs, together with the backlog of maintenance tasks from before the war, took a further ten years to complete. With the increased number of civilian casualties compared with the First World War, Winston Churchill agreed to Ware's proposal that the commission also maintain
22518-745: The war. The cemetery was founded by Commonwealth troops in October 1915 and remained in use until after the Armistice in November 1918. It was originally one of three cemeteries in the immediate area. At the end of the war, the Ypres Reservoir South Cemetery (formerly known as "Broadley's Cemetery" and "Prison Cemetery No 1") and the Ypres Reservoir Middle Cemetery (formerly "Middle Prison Cemetery" and "Prison Cemetery No 2") were concentrated into
22680-599: Was killed in action near Laventie on 13 April 1915, his family attempted to have the body exhumed and returned to England. Despite a ban on exhumations established by French General Joseph , his family received special permission to take the body and bury it in Hawarden, Wales . In response, with Ware's influence a ban on future exhumations was established. To facilitate ease of remembrance, Ware hoped burials would be in relatively centralised cemeteries and worked against isolated burials occurring. On 10 September 1915 he
22842-490: Was "shocked" by the response and was considering giving the Office of Works responsibility for graves. He still felt "the 'stone' will win yet." Lutyens considered Ware "a most excellent fellow and very keen to do the right thing without fear or favour of the present sentiment. With a preference for the most permanent and perfect." In June 1917 Ware proposed a £10 budget per grave (equivalent to £708 in 2023 terms), which became
23004-555: Was a British educator, journalist, and the founder of the Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC), now the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). He also served as Director of Education for the Transvaal Colony and editor of The Morning Post . Born in Clifton, Bristol , he graduated from the University of Paris in 1894. After working in various education capacities, he travelled to
23166-544: Was a team of Assistant Architects who were actually responsible for many of the cemetery and memorial designs. These architects were younger, and many of them had served in the war. The Assistant Architects were: George Esselmont Gordon Leith, Wilfred Clement Von Berg , Charles Henry Holden (who in 1920 became a Principal Architect), William Harrison Cowlishaw , William Bryce Binnie , George Hartley Goldsmith, Frank Higginson, Arthur James Scott Hutton, Noel Ackroyd Rew, and John Reginald Truelove. Other architects that worked for
23328-582: Was also extended beyond the Western Front and into other theatres of war, with units deployed in Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia. As the war continued, Ware and others became concerned about the fate of the graves in the post-war period. Following a suggestion by the British Army, the government appointed the National Committee for the Care of Soldiers' Graves in January 1916, with Edward, Prince of Wales agreeing to serve as president. The National Committee for
23490-528: Was appointed a chevalier of the French Legion of Honour . The GRC had registered over 31,000 graves by October 1915 and 50,000 by May 1916. As the war continued, Ware and others became concerned about the fate of the graves in the post-war period. Following a suggestion by the British Army, the government created the National Committee for the Care of Soldiers' Graves in January 1916, with Edward, Prince of Wales agreeing to serve as president and Ware as
23652-678: Was appointed to design the monument. He proposed a triumphal arch and central hall. The IWGC struggled to navigate various commissions when building monuments in the United Kingdom. During planning for the Mercantile Marine Memorial in London, the Royal Fine Arts Commission (RFAC) rejected Lutyens's initial proposal at Temple Gardens on the bank of the River Thames , suggesting Tower Hill instead. Upset, Lutyens and Ware unsuccessfully urged
23814-459: Was designed to imitate medieval crosses found in churchyards in England with proportions more commonly seen in the Celtic cross . The cross is normally a freestanding four-point limestone Latin cross , mounted on an octagonal base, and ranging in height from 14 to 32 feet (4.3 to 9.8 m). A bronze longsword , blade down, is embedded on the face of the cross. This cross represents the faith of
23976-541: Was divided into sectors and combed for bodies by 12-man exhumation units. Between the Armistice and September 1921, the exhumation units reburied 204,695 bodies. After 1921, no further comprehensive search for bodies was undertaken, and in February 1921 responsibility for the cemeteries was transferred to the commission. Nevertheless, despite the rigour of the searches, bodies continued to be discovered in large numbers. In
24138-492: Was felt that repatriation would conflict with the feeling of brotherhood that had developed between serving ranks. An article in The Times on 17 February 1919 by Rudyard Kipling carried the commission's proposal to a wider audience and described what the graves would look like. The article entitled War Graves: Work of Imperial Commission: Mr. Kipling's Survey was quickly republished as an illustrated booklet, Graves of
24300-495: Was founded by Sir Fabian Ware and constituted through royal charter in 1917 as the Imperial War Graves Commission . The change to the present name took place in 1960. The commission, as part of its mandate, is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally. To this end, the war dead are commemorated by a name on a headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on
24462-458: Was given the temporary rank of major-general as director-general of the DGRE. In May 1917 architect Edwin Lutyens wrote to Ware, urging "great stone[s] of fine proportion twelve feet long set fair or finely wrought". The proposal, supported by Ware, was criticised by figures such as Randall Davidson , the Archbishop of Canterbury , for its lack of religious motifs. Ware told Lutyens he
24624-564: Was identified in 2013 after a visitor to Marfaux British Cemetery discovered a headstone of an unknown sergeant with the Hampshire Regiment killed on 20 July 1918, and was subsequently able to show that only one sergeant from that regiment had been killed in France on that date. As of July 2022, the In From The Cold Project has so far identified 7,255 individuals with either unmarked graves or names missing from
24786-430: Was in more plentiful supply. In Struma Military Cemetery, in Greece, to avoid risk of earthquake damage, small headstones are laid flush to the ground. Due to their smaller size, the markers often lack unit insignia. Commission cemeteries are distinctive in treating floriculture as an integral part of the cemetery design. Originally, the horticultural concept was to create an environment where visitors could experience
24948-552: Was involved in hiring Robbie Ross as an art editor for the paper in August 1908. After the Bosnian Crisis in 1908, Ware became further convinced that the United Kingdom was falling behind Germany in military strength, a stance Wilkinson did not agree with. In a letter to Wilkinson, Ware wrote that The Morning Post "should boldly point to the German danger" and "rub in the immediate necessity of universal military service and
25110-651: Was made a commander of the Order of the Bath , and in 1920 a knight commander of the Order of the British Empire . He received the Croix de Guerre and was made a commander of the Order of the Crown of Belgium . On 1 March 1921 Ware relinquished his commission, leaving the army, and was granted the rank of honorary major-general. In May 1922 he was made knight commander of the Royal Victorian Order . In 1929
25272-463: Was no longer appropriate. In the spirit of strengthening national and regional feelings the organization changed its name to Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1960. More recent conflicts have sometimes made it impossible for the commission to care for cemeteries in a given region or resulted in the destruction of sites altogether. Zehrensdorf Indian Cemetery in Germany was unkempt after the end of
25434-399: Was passed by the French government on 29 December 1917 after objections in the senate were resolved. It gave Britain the ability to control their war graves in "perpetuity of sepulture " and provided for the establishment of a British authority to manage the cemeteries. When Will Gladstone , a Member of Parliament and the grandson of former Prime Minister William Ewart Gladstone ,
25596-477: Was reached. Lutyens continued to promote his concept of war stones as respectful to all religions, but Aitken and Baker favoured crosses. Both sides attempted to gain Ware's endorsement for their view. Upon Ware's invitation, author Rudyard Kipling was appointed the commission's literary adviser in October 1917. In late 1917 Ware began searching for a replacement to Aitken, who did not fully support Ware's vision for
25758-427: Was struck by the lack of an official mechanism for managing the graves of those killed and following British defeats at Mons and Le Cateau in September, Ware's unit began sharing information with Lord Robert Cecil , the head of the Red Cross's Wounded and Missing Department. According to an Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) report, the original object of the unit was to "search for British wounded and missing in
25920-426: Was the first memorial to the missing located in Europe to be completed, and was unveiled on 24 July 1927. The Menin Gate (Menenpoort) was found to have insufficient space to contain all the names as originally planned and 34,984 names of the missing were instead inscribed on Herbert Baker's Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing . Other memorials followed: the Helles Memorial in Gallipoli designed by John James Burnet ;
26082-404: Was the first new Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in more than 50 years, the last such cemeteries having been built after the Second World War. The commission is currently responsible for the continued commemoration of 1.7 million deceased Commonwealth military service members in 153 countries and approximately 67,000 civilians who died as a result of enemy action during
26244-420: Was too old, at age 45, to join the British Army. He used the influence of Rio Tinto chairman, Viscount Milner , to become the commander of a mobile unit of the British Red Cross . He arrived in France in September 1914 and whilst there was struck by the lack of any official mechanism for documenting or marking the location of graves of those who had been killed and felt compelled to create an organisation within
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