About the

Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries and memorials

Read the leaflet called About the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to find out about the history of the organisation, its cemeteries and memorials. People often use the initials of the name CWGC because it is much quicker to write and say.

Cemeteries
There are about 2500 CWGC cemeteries and plots across the world. Some contain only war graves; some contain a few war graves in plots but other graves as well; some have war graves in amongst other graves. The largest CWGC cemetery is called Tyne Cot, in Belgium. It contains nearly 12,000 graves from the First World War. Each grave is marked with a headstone.

3,588 headstones in Tyne Cot have names on them because we know who is buried there 8,369 headstones in Tyne Cot have no names on them. There are bodies buried there but we dont know who they are. On each of these headstones is written: o A Soldier of the Great War, Known unto God

There is also a memorial at Tyne Cot which has 35,000 names on it.

The smallest CWGC cemetery is on Ocracoke Island off the coast of America. It has just four graves.

Memorials
Memorials are specially built monuments which have names listed on them of people who we know have died fighting but whose bodies have never been found. A memorial called Thiepval (pronounced Teepval) in France has nearly 72,000 names on it. These are soldiers who died in the First World War. There are memorials for sailors and members of the air force too. On the Portsmouth Naval Memorial are the names of around 10,000 sailors of the First World War and almost 15,000 of the Second World War. These sailors were lost at sea when their ships were destroyed. The Air Forces Memorial at Runnymede helps us to remember over 20,000 airmen who were lost in the Second World War. Very often, when a plane was shot down, it was impossible to find the bodies of the crew.

Headstones
Most CWGC headstones are easy to spot because they are all the same shape. In some places where there is danger of earthquakes, the headstones are small and low so they do not fall over. Most headstones are made of white stone, called Portland stone. In some countries they are made of local stone that is easier to obtain.

The Cross of Sacrifice

Cemeteries that have more than 40 graves often have a Cross of Sacrifice. It is made of white Portland stone like the headstones. It stands on an octagonal block, which means it has eight sides. It has a downwards pointed bronze sword attached to the front. The cross is there to show the religion of most of the dead, which was Christianity. The sword shows that the cemetery is to do with war.

The Stone of Remembrance

The Stone of Remembrance is usually found in cemeteries with over 400 graves. The rectangular shaped stone is made of white Portland stone and has three steps leading up to it. Both sides of the stone have with the words: Their Name Liveth For Evermore carved on them. Liveth was used instead of lives in the old days.

Register boxes and registers

In all but the smallest cemeteries there is a register. This can be found in the bronze register box, which is usually built into a wall close to the entrance of the cemetery or in the shelter building. This is a list of all of the names of the people buried and remembered in that cemetery. A visitor book is also available for visitors to write any comments or to make a note of their visit.

How can I find out more?

You could read the leaflets about: About the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Commonwealth War Graves Commission headstones

The CWGC has a website. The address is www.cwgc.org Here you can find out where all the cemeteries are and where different people are buried or remembered, as well as a lot more about the CWGC.

There is an e-mail form on the website which you can use to ask questions. You could also telephone us on these numbers: 01628 507200 - if you would like to find out where a particular person is buried or remembered 01628 634221 - for any other enquiries.
Produced by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission 2 Marlow Road Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 7DX
Read and approved by Mark OConnor and Michael Farbrother European Easy-to-Read Logo: Inclusion Europe