Following a recent presentation to our Club by Elizabeth Smith of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission she invited us to join them at an Open Day at Harrogate Stonefall Cemetery. This cemetery, begun in 1914, is the resting place for over 1,000 servicemen who died during the First and Second World Wars.
The cemeteries are financed by six countries: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Africa, New Zealand and India, who share the cost and maintenance of the Commission’s work proportionately to the number of their graves. There are over 23,000 locations in more than 150 countries and territories around the world.
Each headstone is inscribed with the details of the individual, including name, rank, awards, service number, religious emblem. There is no discrimination between ranks, race or religion, everyone is treated equally.
We spent several hours at the cemetery where volunteer tour guides recounted the stories of some of the buried and there was a demonstration on carving the stones.
The gardens are immaculate, all tended by their own groundsmen. Many of us have visited other Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries and have found the same care and attention devoted to every one.