Five unique & unusual UK cemeteries and memorials to visit

Join us on a trip around the UK as we take in some of the more unique and unusual Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries and memorials the country has to offer.

Unique & unusual UK Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries and Memorials

Commonwealth War Graves in the UK

You may be familiar with the cemeteries and memorials Commonwealth War Graves cares for around the world, but how well do you know about our work in the UK?

We commemorate over 300,000 men and women of the Commonwealth across 12,000 UK locations.  
There are around 170,000 burials here, situated in either our purpose-built war cemeteries, municipal burial grounds, local churchyards, or isolated in remote areas.

Men and women who lost their lives in military service but have no known war grave are commemorated by name on our various memorials to the missing, such as the Runnymede Air Services Memorial or the Naval Memorials.

With a high number of cemeteries and memorials dotted around the UK, some are more unique and unusual than others, whether that’s down to their location, cemetery features, or their history.

So, join us as we take a trip to some of the more unusual Commonwealth War Graves cemeteries and memorials the United Kingdom has to offer.

Inchnadamph Old Churchyard & the UK’s most remote war graves?

Image: Are these the remotest war graves in the UK? 

While we encourage you to visit all these sites, you may struggle to reach this burial ground lying peacefully just below the summit of Ben More Assynt in the Scottish Highlands. These most isolated of burials sit high on the mountainside, some three and a half miles from the nearest road. 

The six airmen buried in this lofty, remote locale all lost their lives when their plane crashed. A local farmer discovered the crash site and buried the fallen aircrew, using parts of the wreckage as makeshift grave markers.

By 1944, the Commission had placed a temporary cairn war memorial over the graves. 

Image: The original Commission marker at Ben More Assynt

At the time, it was believed unthinkable to install a permanent memorial or grave markers in such an inaccessible spot. A special war memorial was instead installed at Inchnadamph, the closest nearby village, to give the airmen’s families a place to mourn their loved ones. 

Over the years, all that remained of the burial site was an ever-larger pile of stones, usually left in tribute by the odd passing walker. All that changed in 2010.

A local mountain guide contacted us, expressing his concern that the exact location of these war graves may be lost over time. 

With the help of the Ministry of Defence, a permanent 600kg stone grave marker was lowered into place, where it remains to this day, marking the site of potentially the UK’s most remote war graves.

Image: Installing the permanent Commission memorial in 2010

Maintaining our isolated and remote war graves is an ongoing challenge, especially in a landscape as wide and dramatic as the Scottish Highlands and Islands. Our teams travel via ferries, planes, and even bicycles on their maintenance trips, held when breaks in the weather allow.

The Scottish Highlands and Islands are studded with burial grounds and war graves. The dead include those who served overseas, only to die from injury or illness, as well as seamen or pilots who died in accidents or whose bodies were ashore far from home.

While they are occasionally difficult to reach, these spots offer small oases of calm and contemplation set in some of the most spectacular, beautiful landscapes in the world. Read more about our Scottish war graves here.

Brecon Cemetery & Indian mule drivers buried far from home

Image: Indian Army war graves, tucked amid the verdant splendour and rugged beauty of the Brecon Beacons

Overlooking the River Usk and the sweeping mountain vistas of the gorgeous Brecon Beacons sits Brecon Cemetery. Within lie 24 Commonwealth dead of the World Wars, their graves lovingly cared for by CWGC maintenance teams.

While two-thirds of those who lie in war graves in Brecon Cemetery are local lads, the site’s only plot of war grave holds eight men who left their homes in northern pre-Partition India to serve in Britain’s rugged wild spaces in the Second World War.

So, why in a cemetery more commonly used to headstones bearing surnames like Evans, Thomas and Williams, are ones featuring flowing Arabic script and names like Ali and Muhammed? The answer lies in the Second World War.

In 1939, British military planners believed their now completely mechanised army might require additional animal-based transport, namely mules with mule handlers. The answer lay with the British Indian Army, where animal transport had always been invaluable in places like the North-west Frontier.

Image: Infantry teams train with mules in the Black Mountains (© IWM H 11151)

Four Royal Indian Service Corps (RISC) animal transport companies and their support units arrived in France with the British Expeditionary Force in Autumn 1939. This was Force K6. It soon became noted for its off-road logistical capabilities.

With the fall of France in the summer of 1940, one K6 company was taken prisoner ahead of the Dunkirk Evacuation. The remaining three escaped capture and headed back to the UK as the British Expeditionary Force retreated. Sadly, their animals had to be left behind.

In the UK, the remaining K6 companies were reequipped and redeployed to support and participate in mountain training in Wales. The first RISC men arrived in Brecon in 1941 and were spread around the region. Some units were later moved to Snowdonia for further training.

Image: Mule handlers of the Royal Indian Army Service Corps negotiate rocky terrain (© IWM H 5568)

Between June and July 1942, the RISC companies and their mules were relocated to Scotland for further mountain exercises. They left behind eight of their comrades, who now rest peacefully amidst the bucolic splendour of the Brecon Beacons.

All of these men had served in the mule companies, predominantly as drivers. Their average age was just 25. Three had wives back home. The Indian serviceman buried here was Muhammad Sarwar of Shahpur in June 1941; the last, Muhammad Din of Gujrat, son of an Imam, in July 1942.

All were carefully buried in accordance with Muslim practices. While they may be far from home, they are not forgotten.

Image: War grave of Gul Muhammad, RISC, buried alongside his comrades so far from home

Brecon itself has long ties to the Armed Forces. The first barracks was opened here in the early 1800s and later served as the depot for the South Wales Borderers. Brecon men served at home and overseas, seeing action in France, Belgium, Egypt, Gallipoli, and more campaigns.

Most of the Borderers’ war dead are commemorated overseas, but several burials at Brecon have connections to the local area. For example, Brecon man Serjeant William C. Turner of the Royal Flying Corps was killed in a crash while learning to fly at Rendcomb Aerodrome, Cirencester, and is now buried here.

We often shine a spotlight on British dead buried in far-flung locales here at CWGC, but Brecon Cemetery reminds us that the flow of men was not just one way – and how all are equal in commemoration, regardless of role, rank or nationality.

Lee-on-Solent Memorial & the Fleet Air Arm

Image: The Lee-on-Solent Memorial

Naval airpower was one of the Allies’ chief war-winning weapons of the Second World War. 
During the war, the aircraft carrier rose to prominence, replacing battleships as the ocean’s preeminent force, and it was the British Royal Navy's Fleet Air Arm (FAA) that supplied the airmen and aircraft which gave Royal Naval carriers their power.

The Fleet Air Arm’s bombers, fighters, and reconnaissance craft engaged the enemy on land, air, and sea. They also scouted for and attacked enemy submarines and surface vessels menacing Allied shipping. 

Image: Seafires and Hellcats ranged on the flight deck of HMS Formidable, December 1943 (© IWM (A 21711))

Alongside their sailor comrades, the airmen of the Fleet Air Arm served in virtually every theatre of the war, from the biting cold of the Arctic Convoys to the endless expanse of the Atlantic, to the Pacific and the final actions of the war.

In one notable engagement, in November 1940, Swordfish biplane bombers attacked Taranto harbour in southern Italy, knocking out several powerful warships. The daring night-time raid was so successful that Japanese military aviators studied the attack in detail, using it as inspiration for their own carrier-based attack on Pearl Harbour in December 1941.

Being a Fleet Air Arm pilot brought many risks. They faced all the dangers associated with World War aviation, as well as the added hazard of flying from airfields constantly in motion, pitching and rolling with the movement of the shifting seas.

Over 3,300 Fleet Air Arm personnel died in the Second World War. More than half have no known grave. Many were killed when their carriers were sunk, or they were shot down over the water, crashing into the sea; others made navigational errors and were sadly never seen again.

Image: Over 1,900 Fleet Air Arm airmen are commemorated at Lee-on-Solent

Standing out overlooking the sea from the Hampshire coast is our Lee-on-Solent Memorial, where more than 1,900 Fleet Air Arm personnel with no known war grave are commemorated. 

Why Lee-on-Solent? The sleepy seaside district has a long association with naval aviation. Seaplane trials were first held here in 1915, for example. By the 1940s, HMS Daedalus, an on-shore facility, had been established. This would be the Fleet Air Arm’s primary shore and administrative base for the war.

3rd Officer Thelma Daphne Jackson of the Women’s Royal Naval Service is the only servicewoman commemorated on the memorial. She was killed in the same incident which also took the life of her husband, 22-year-old Sub-Lieutenant Arthur Myles Jackson, as well as Sub-Lieutenant Eric Fretwell. 

On 23 July 1944, all three took off from Perranporth in Cornwall in a Swordfish torpedo bomber piloted by Fretwell. The exact circumstances of their deaths are not known, but they never reached their destination. No wreckage was ever located, but they likely crashed into the sea due to mechanical trouble.

Irvinestown Church of Ireland Churchyard & the airmen of the Atlantic

Image: some of the 70 or so CWGC burials at Irvinestown Church of Ireland Churchyard

The Battle of the Atlantic was one of the, if not the, most crucial campaigns of the Second World War.
Control of the Atlantic was crucial to keep the UK and her war effort supplied with food and equipment. Over the war, the Allies combined technological and doctrinal development to defeat the German U-boat menace and enjoy superiority over the Atlantic sea lanes.

One crucial aspect of the Allied Atlantic strategy was air power. While the Fleet Air Arm predominantly handled operations at sea, it worked alongside RAF Coastal Command for duties such as patrolling for enemy submarines, air-sea rescue, and escorting merchant convoys.

For North Atlantic-focused operations, the Royal Air Force had to place Coastal Command bases as close to the ocean as possible. Lough Erne, in the west of Northern Ireland, was the most westerly point seaplanes could operate from, but they had to fly over neutral Irish territory to reach international waters.

Pressure from the US and UK led to a secret agreement with the Irish government allowing RAF aircraft to pass over a thin strip of airspace known as “The Donegal Corridor”.

Image: A Short Sunderland of No.201 Squadron taking off from Lough Erne (© IWM HU 91908)

RAF stations popped up on Lough Earn and in the surrounding area with the first operational flight taking place in February 1941.

Combating the U-boats was an important but costly activity. The first Second World War burials made at Irvinestown took place in March 1941. Six men of No. 240 squadron died when their Catalina crashed into a hillside in County Leitrim in the Republic of Ireland.

Aircrews whose bodies were recovered in neutral Ireland were permitted for burial in Irvinestown Church of Ireland Churchyard. However, you may notice if you visit that not all aircrews were buried here together. UK families arranged for their loved ones’ bodies to be brought home, while those of Catholic faith were buried at Sacred Heart.

By mid-October 1943, a second war graves plot was required. The Commission’s Northern Ireland inspector reported that “the whole town would shut up” to pay respect to the fallen airmen whenever funeral processions passed through Irvinestown.

Image: The funeral of Flight Lieutenant Devine and Flying Officer Wilkinson, Irvinestone, April 1944 (© Carl Shaeffer)

Canadian War Artist Carl Shaeffer sketched the ninth such procession on April 16 1944. 

They were burying Flight Lieutenant ‘Cam’ Devine of Orillia, Ontario and Flying Officer Wilkinson of Toronto, Ontario (a third man, Pilot Officer Forrest, was interred at Sacred Heart). All three had died on 12 April when their Sunderland crash-landed near Corlea, County Donegal. 

Fully laden for a long anti-submarine patrol, an engine failed not long after take-off from RAF Castle Archdale. Devine – pilot and captain – fought to keep the plane aloft to safely jettison depth charges and fuel, and then to land the aircraft in a way that might save his crew. He, co-pilot Wilkinson, and Forrest were killed instantly, but eight men survived.

Image: Irvinestown is the final resting place for airmen from across the Commonwealth

By March 1946, Irvinestown had become the final resting place of over 70 Commonwealth airmen of the Second World War. Our inspector wrote, “the local people have taken the greatest possible interest and ‘pride’ that so many ‘heroes of the RAF’ were buried in their town”.

Edward Maufe, the Commission’s principal architect, submitted a plan to connect the two plots in 1947, incorporating a Cross of Sacrifice, a dedicated entrance and path. The Cross, built of Irish limestone, and iconic CWGC headstones were installed in 1951 before being fully completed in 1957. 

Irvinestown also includes a handful of burials from the First World War. These were local men who died as a result of their military service at home or died elsewhere in the UK and were brought home by their families.

Liverpool Naval Memorial & The Merchant Seaman who served with the Royal Navy

Image: The Liverpool Naval Memorial sits in the heart of one of the most important British ports of the Second World War

At Irvinestown lie men who guarded the oceans and merchant fleets from the air; across the Irish Sea, on the Liverpool Naval memorial, you’ll find the names of some of the men doing the same at sea.

Liverpool Naval Memorial, proudly overlooking the Mersey, commemorates by name over 1,400 merchant seamen of the Second World War. 

In September 1939, it became clear to the Admiralty that the Royal Navy would not be able to handle all the vessels required for the war effort, even with the call-up of the Royal Naval Reserve (RNR) - professional civilian sailors - and Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve (RNVR) - reservists with no formal experience at sea. 

To cover the shortfall, thousands of Merchant Navy officers and sailors volunteered to serve with the Royal Navy under the special T.124 Agreement. This agreement meant merchant men were obliged to adhere to Royal Navy discipline while retaining their usually higher rates of pay and conditions.

More than 13,000 seamen served under these T.124 arrangements in many types of naval auxiliary vessels, from ocean liners that had become armed merchant cruisers to boarding vessels, cable ships and rescue tugs. Those lost or buried at sea are named on this Merchant Navy memorial. 

Image: Smoke on the Horizon, 1940. Bridge Activity at a Sighting; Armed Merchant Cruiser HMS Laurentic, Northern Patrol 1940 (© IWM (Art.IWM ART LD 319))

Officers were offered temporary commissions in the RNR or RNVR while the men served in the Naval Auxiliary Personnel (Merchant Navy).  

The early stages of the Battle of the Atlantic seriously stretched the Royal Navy’s resources. Older and repurposed vessels were pressed into service to keep the vital flow of supplies flowing. These were gradually replaced when purpose-built frigates and corvettes were introduced.

Liverpool was an important site for the Battle of the Atlantic. As one of the UK’s chief Atlantic ports, it served as the headquarters for the Commander-in-Chief Western Approaches, who directed the battle alongside his staff at the Atlantic Battle Operations Room, Derby House, Liverpool.

It was also a key cargo terminal. Thousands of merchant ships were loaded and unloaded by hundreds of thousands of dockers and stevedores in Liverpool’s docks. The Mersey also became a major shipbuilding and repair centre. Both military and merchant vessels were built and maintained in Liverpool.

Image: The carvings on the stone globes represent the myriad of cultures and countries represented among the names listed on CWGC's Liverpool Naval Memorial

Because of the city’s strong maritime heritage, you’ll find the names of many locals on the Liverpool Naval Memorial. Among them is Trimmer Joseph Quinn. 

Joseph was one of at least six other Liverpudlians amongst the crewmen of HMS Laurentic, a former luxury liner which had been transformed into an Armed Merchant Cruiser, torpedoed off Ireland’s northwest coast whilst coming to the rescue of another stricken ship on 3 November 1940.

The diversity of Royal Navy personnel is also clearly visible in the names etched into the Memorial. Men came from across the world to serve; from China, India, Singapore, Yemen, Egypt, and more countries, demonstrating the international effort required to win the war at sea.

Take a virtual tour of CWGC sites with the For Evermore App

Bridging the gap between virtual and digital commemoration, this For Evermore mobile app puts some of our most iconic cemeteries and memorials in the palm of your hand.

Explore our sites virtually with virtual tours powered by Memory Anchor, curated by expert CWGC historians. From the Western Front to the Pacific Theatre, explore historic sites at your leisure.

The app draws in thousands of stories from For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen, our online digital archive.  Now you can visit a site and scan a headstone to see if we’ve got a story about them. 

Download the app today and began your own For Evermore journey.