This month after our lunch and an opportunity to catch-up with each other we had a fascinating talk by David Harkness. He talked to us about the history of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. The organisation was established in 1917 to ensure servicemen who died in the great war (first world war) were buried and remembered. The organisation now looks after graves at over 23,000 locations around the globe.
In addition to the well known sites the CWGC looks after sites both at home, in Europe and around the world as far afield as Australia. Servicemen were buried close to where they had fallen and all treated equally, a Brigadier might be found buried next to a Private with a identical headstone. Rank made no difference in death. You can also find CWGC graves in English churchyards around the country. Bodies were not repatriated but if a serviceman had returned back home injured but died shortly after as a result of his injuries they were given the honour of a military funeral and the CWGC looks after these graves today.
MIRTH 