Six CWGC Sites You Have to Visit in Great Britain

From isolated cemeteries on the west coast of Scotland to sprawling inner city necropolises, and from dramatic architectural masterpieces to intimate local churchyards, with so much to discover across Great Britain, where should you begin? Here we have highlighted just six of the remarkable cemeteries and memorials we maintain across Great Britain.

1. KILCHOMAN MILITARY CEMETERY

Kilchoman Military Cemetery is certainly one of the more isolated cemeteries we maintain in Great Britain. Located overlooking Machir bay on the Island of Islay, this cemetery is the final resting place of 74 servicemen. Almost all of these men died on 6 October 1918 when the troop ship HMS Otranto collided with another vessel and sank during a terrible storm. The cemetery was begun by local people who worked tirelessly to help the survivors and bury the British and American servicemen who washed up on the shores of their island.

Discover more about the cemetery and the events of 6 October 1918 here.  

2. HARROGATE (STONEFALL) CEMETERY

While the vast majority of war graves across Great Britain can be found in their ones and twos in local churchyards and cemeteries, there are a number of cemeteries that regular visitors to the Western Front will find very familiar. During the Second World War, airbases were established across Yorkshire and Harrogate (Stonefall) Cemetery was designated as a regional air forces cemetery. By the end of the Second World War, almost 1,000 servicemen and women had been laid to rest in the air forces section of Stonefall Cemetery. Today you will find ordered rows of Portland headstones, stunningly maintained horticulture, and features like the Cross of Sacrifice and Stone of Remembrance.

Discover more about the cemetery and learn about the story of Yorkshire at war here.

3. BODELWYDDAN (ST MARGARET) CHURCHYARD

Some servicemen and women buried in Great Britain are a long way from home. At Bodelwyddan (St Margaret) Churchyard in North Wales you will find over 100 headstones that bear the maple leaf badge of Canada. At the end of the First World War, thousands of Canadian soldiers, many of whom had survived the horrors of the Western Front, were housed at Kinmel Camp in North Wales while awaiting their passage home to Canada. Tragically, most of the Canadian soldiers buried in Bodelwyddan succumbed to Spanish Flu only weeks before it was their turn to go home.

Discover more about this cemetery and explore the story of Canadian forces at Kinmel Camp here.

4. CITY OF LONDON CEMETERY AND CREMATORIUM, MANOR PARK

Situated in the heart of east London, the City of London Cemetery and Crematorium at Manor Park is one of the largest municipal cemeteries in Europe. Here you will find more than 700 Commonwealth service personnel at rest. Many of these soldiers, sailors and airmen died in one of the many major hospitals that were established in London during the World Wars. Others were laid to rest here at the request of their families after dying of illness, wounds or in accidents across Great Britain.

Discover more about this cemetery here.

5. BROOKWOOD MILITARY CEMETERY

The largest cemetery we care for in Great Britain is Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey. Commemorated here are more than 5,000 Commonwealth service personnel. Many died in London hospitals, while others have no known grave and are commemorated on one of two memorials to the missing within the cemetery. Brookwood is also one of the most international cemeteries in our care; here you will find servicemen and women of Italian, German, American, French, Belgian, Polish, Czechoslovak and Dutch forces to name only some.

Discover more about this remarkable international cemetery here.

6. THE NAVAL MEMORIALS

Across Great Britain we built, and today maintain, several memorials to the missing. Each is an architectural masterpiece, designed to fittingly commemorated those who have no known grave. Perhaps the most striking are the three great memorials at Portsmouth, Plymouth and Chatham which commemorate the missing of the Royal Navy. During both world wars Britain was a naval superpower. The vessels of the Royal Navy sailed on every sea around the world, protecting convoys, hunting enemies, supporting land forces and protecting Britain and her allies from invasion. Victory, however, came at a terrible cost for the Royal Navy, and the reality of combat at sea was that most who died went down with their ship. Our magnificent Naval memorials ensure that those who gave their lives serving with the Royal Navy are never forgotten.

Discover more about the Royal Navy at war and learn about the fascinating history and design of our Naval Memorials here.