Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial: A memorial reimagined
A powerful new chapter in remembrance is taking shape
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is building a new Memorial to the Missing in Brookwood Military Cemetery, United Kingdom.
The memorial will commemorate those who died in the United Kingdom and Ireland during the First World War but currently have no known final resting place.
The original Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial honoured some of these individuals. Ongoing research from the In From The Cold project and our Commemorations team has revealed more names for commemoration. The final resting places of others commemorated on the previous memorial have also been identified.
Because of this, it became clear that a new memorial was required at Brookwood.
At the Commission, we know our work is never truly done. We remain committed to ensuring every individual who fell in service to the British Empire during the World Wars is commemorated.
Initially, 400 service personnel will be commemorated on the new memorial with enough space for up to 1,200 names. The memorial stelae are already in place, and in time a new woodland landscape will grow around them, creating a delightful space that inspires and delights.
At a Glance: The Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial
- The Brookwood 1914–1918 Memorial commemorates people who died in the UK and Ireland during the First World War and have no known grave
- The memorial was created because ongoing research identified names missing from official commemoration
- Around 400 names are expected at unveiling, with space for future additions as research continues
- The memorial sits within Brookwood Military Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the UK
- The site has been shaped through a landscape-led design approach
- The previous memorial has been responsibly reused
Why a new memorial? The research behind the names
The decision to build a new memorial in Brookwood Military Cemetery follows years of extensive research.
Many of the names were uncovered by the In From The Cold Project (IFCP). The IFCP was formed over two decades ago to research and identify all servicemen and women missing from official CWGC records.
Using local archives, death certificates, and military records, the IFCP project has so far uncovered 400 new names for commemoration on the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial. The memorial allows space for 1,200 names, ready for new discoveries.
Research submitted by the IFCP has been carefully reviewed by our War Commemorations Team. Reviewing cases of non-commemoration or missing individuals is an essential part of the Commemorations team’s work, working alongside researchers, military authorities, archaeologists and other related organisations to uncover and identify missing military personnel.
The Commemorations team has located the graves of approximately 250 servicemen and women who were previously commemorated on the old memorial. These casualties will now be honoured at their original burial locations.
If further research leads to further discoveries of the final resting places of those commemorated on the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial, the memorial will be altered accordingly.
When complete, this memorial will be a place of remembrance and a powerful reminder that all those who served should be remembered and that the memory of the First World War is a responsibility we all share, over a century on.
The Design: A Memorial that Can Grow
This memorial has been designed by Studio Wignall & Moore, working closely with internationally acclaimed Landscape Architect Tom Stuart-Smith. The design honours the fallen, allowing visitors a very different commemorative experience in the heart of the naturalistic landscape.
Sustainability is woven into every aspect of the project. Low-impact construction methods, and a long term ecological management plan ensure that this space will be preserved for generations to come. The stone from the previous memorial is being donated to local craft colleges as training material.
Plantings of wildflowers, pollinator-friendly varieties, and well-managed green spaces will attract bees, butterflies, and other species, creating a peaceful setting for reflection and remembrance.
In the scheme, some 600 trees will be planted as part of our flagship 39,000 Trees for 2039 programme. Trees are vital to the ongoing health of biodiverse landscapes, aiding soil health, providing shelter and food for local wildlife, and shading for people to sit, contemplate, and enjoy their surroundings.
Further volunteer and CWGC staff initiatives are planned, including bulb planting to enhance the site through thoughtful horticulture. Our initial plantings and ongoing horticultural care will result in a living landscape, rich in memory and meaning, and a beautiful space for reflecting on the losses of the World Wars.
Sustainability is interwoven into each stage of the Memorial’s design, construction, and ongoing care. The Portland Stone has been sustainably sourced from trusted suppliers. The stone from the earlier memorial has been crushed into aggregate for use in this project and further CWGC projects around the world.
Off cuts from stelae production will also be recycled into benches and seats, providing spaces for visitors to sit and contemplate in the beautiful Brookwood landscape.
Together, the landscape and architecture create a beautiful, evolving memorial, ideally suited for commemorating our missing war dead of the First World War.
The Memorial in Context: Why Brookwood Matters
Brookwood Military Cemetery is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the United Kingdom.
The military cemetery at Brookwood was started in 1917 when an area of the pre-existing civilian cemetery was set aside for Commonwealth and American servicemen who had died, many of battle wounds, in London hospitals and medical facilities.
The site was extended in the Second World War, taking in over 3,400 burials of Commonwealth and international servicemen. Now, the cemetery is the final resting place of more than 5,000 Commonwealth servicemen and 800 war graves of other nationalities cared for by CWGC.
Those buried or commemorated here represent all branches of service and all six of the CWGC’s member governments: Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and the United Kingdom. There are also plots of Belgian, Czechoslovakian, French, German, Italian, and Polish war graves.
As Brookwood is the largest CWGC cemetery in the UK and a significant site for the development of our work in Britain, it makes the perfect environment for the new Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial.
The Names: Who is commemorated on the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial?
The Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial commemorates members of the land forces of the Commonwealth who died in the UK and Ireland during the First World War but were not previously officially commemorated.
These Brookwood names are those who sadly have no known war grave.
No known war grave simply means we have been unable to locate their final resting places. Their bodies may never have been found or recovered; they were unidentifiable upon discovery or were buried in graves that were subsequently lost or destroyed.
With the construction of the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial, these servicemen will be given a permanent, official point of commemoration.
As touched on earlier, many of the names listed on the new Brookwood Memorial came from the incredible research and dedication of the In From The Cold Project volunteers. Others came from family researchers and group enquiries leading the CWGC Commemoration Casework.
The Commemorations Team has worked tirelessly to verify and confirm the names. Without their tireless work, these servicemen would have remained uncommemorated.
With space for up to 1,200 names, the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial is a living memorial. If discovered, casualties will be added accordingly, commemorated equally alongside their fellow servicemen in Brookwood’s peaceful surroundings.
From Archive to Stone: How the Memorial Was Made
Each name inscribed on each stele begins as a case researched and verified by our Commemorations Team. Once confirmed, their name enters our records, searchable on our website, and into the physical inscription through skilled stonework and memorial production.
The Commemorations Team diligently inspects and reviews all documentation sent to us regarding the identification and commemoration of casualties. This includes documents such as death certificates and military service records.
As the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial is for casualties previously not commemorated by us, the Commemorations Team checked and verified service histories and personnel details, leading to confirmation that these were indeed First World War servicemen.
Once confirmed, these names enter our archives and records, ready for inscription on headstones, memorial panels, or, in this case, stelae. But first, the Commemorations Team prepared a casualty list of confirmed individuals for commemoration at Brookwood.
Once prepared, this was delivered to the stonemasons and quarriers supplying the Portland Stone slabs for the stelae.
All engraving and shaping of stones and memorial panels was done onsite in Portland, with the stones transported to Brookwood Cemetery ready for installation. Each name has been intricately carved into the stone, keeping our standards for depth and legibility, ensuring the proper commemoration by name of all those listed on the memorial.
The CWGC Operations Team worked with trusted partners to install the memorial stelae on site. The only carving undertaken by our in-house stonemasons was the numbering of each stele.
Once installed and unveiled, the Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial will be a stunning place of peaceful reflection, ideally suited to the commemoration of the Commonwealth’s War Dead.
Our Work Continues: The Future of Commemoration at Brookwood
The Brookwood 1914-1918 Memorial has been designed with future work in mind. Spaces have been left for up to 800 names.
Research and investigation into World War casualties is ongoing. The work of the Commemoration Team is never finished, and if new names are uncovered suitable for this memorial, they will be added in due time.
Likewise, if the missing servicemen commemorated on the memorial are found, then their names will be removed, and they will be commemorated with a CWGC headstone.
Otherwise, the care and maintenance of the new Brookwood Memorial will fall under our core work and forms part of our ongoing mission to commemorate all those who fell in military service to the British Empire in the two World Wars.
Frequently Asked Questions
The memorial unveiled in 2015 honoured First World War casualties who died in the United Kingdom and Ireland and have no known grave. Since then, we have discovered more casualties for commemoration and furthermore, we have located the final resting places of some of those listed on the previous memorial, which is why a new memorial is now needed: to ensure every individual is remembered and commemorated.
400 service personnel will be commemorated on the new memorial. As research progresses, additional names will be added, with space available to record up to 1,200 names.
Many names were uncovered in the last decade by the In From The Cold Project, volunteers who combed military records, death certificates, and local archives.
In addition, the Commission has located the graves of approximately 250 servicemen and women who were previously commemorated on the memorial. These casualties will now be honoured at their original burial locations. This vital work – locating casualty graves and ensuring appropriate commemoration - restores their place of remembrance within the communities where they were originally laid to rest. Over 100 years later, our work continues.
Sustainability has been woven through every stage at this project.
Names will be engraved on sustainably sourced Portland stone, that uses all parts of the quarried stone, with normally wasted off cuts being used as seating. The stone from the previous memorial will be sent to local craft colleges.
The surrounding landscape uses wildflowers and pollinator friendly planting to support biodiversity and create a tranquil, living habitat. We will plant over 600 trees in the scheme.
No, only the area we are working in will be closed during construction, the majority of the site and all graves will remain open for visitors throughout the works.
This memorial has been designed by Studio Wignall & Moore, working closely with internationally acclaimed landscape Architect Tom Stuart-Smith.
The design honours the fallen while enhancing the natural environment. The memorial’s stone tablets are arranged to mirror the pattern of stars as they appeared on 11 November 1918: the night the Armistice came into effect on the Western Front. Set within carefully landscaped grounds, the design strikes a balance between solemn remembrance and a biodiverse, peaceful environment for reflection.
A stele (STEE-lee) is a stone slab, generally taller than it is wide, erected in the ancient world as a monument. The surface of the stele often has text, ornamentation, or both. These may be inscribed, carved in relief, or painted. Here at Brookwood we are using large stone Stele with the names of the missing engraved into the surface.
This new memorial marks the beginning of an important new chapter for Brookwood. We’ll be sharing regular updates on the construction process across our social media channels and here on our website, giving you a behind-the-scenes look at how a memorial of this significance is brought to life by our team of experts. Make sure you are signed up to our newsletter here.
Brookwood is more than a place of remembrance; it’s a living, breathing community dedicated to honouring history.
Here’s how you can be part of it:
Join our events
From moving commemorative services to uplifting concerts, Brookwood Military Cemetery hosts a vibrant calendar of events that bring people together in remembrance and celebration.
Volunteer with us
Lend your time, skills, and passion. Whether you have green fingers for gardening or a voice for storytelling, there’s a place for you in our volunteer family.
Support The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation
Join our charitable foundation or make a donation to help us inspire the next generation. Your support fuels our education and outreach work, ensuring the stories of those we commemorate are never forgotten.
Visit Brookwood: Plan Your Trip
Plan your visit to our new Brookwood Memorial and the wider military cemetery with this handy information below.
Opening Times
- 08.00 – 19.30 Weekdays
- 09.00 – 19.30 Weekends & Bank Holidays
The cemetery is closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day.
Location
Brookwood Military Cemetery is 30 miles from London along the M3 to Bagshot and then the A322.
The entrance to Brookwood Military Cemetery is located on the A324 in the village of Pirbright, Surrey.
A direct train service runs from Waterloo Station, London, to Brookwood Station, from which there is an entrance to the cemetery.
The Brookwood Military Cemetery postcode is GU24 0JB.
Vehicle and pedestrian access
Vehicle, pedestrian, and wheelchair access is available through the main gate off Dawney Hill Road, Pirbright, during official opening times. Gates are automated, so access after 19:30 can be sought by driving up to the main entrance gate.
What can visitors expect on site?
Visitors will experience rows of clean white CWGC headstones commemorating the Commonwealth’s war dead. There are several sections of the cemetery dedicated to Commonwealth war graves, including First and Second World War burials.
You may also notice a variety of headstones of different shapes and sizes. These are the grave markers of non-Commonwealth burials in Brookwood. Keep an eye out for Polish, Czechoslovakian, Italian, and German war graves on your trip.
Immediately on your left as you enter through the Dawney Road gates is the Canadian Records Building. This holds a small visitor centre, where you can learn more about the cemetery and those commemorated here.
Just outside is the Brookwood 1939-1945 Memorial, commemorating missing British and Commonwealth servicemen of the Second World War. Several SEO agents are commemorated on its memorial name panels.
In between the two major CWGC sections at Brookwood is Brookwood American Cemetery. Featuring 460 or so American servicemen of the First World War and a memorial Chapel, this represents the international effort and cost in human life paid by the Allies in the Great War.
Please note: Commonwealth War Graves is not responsible for the care of Brookwood American Cemetery. It is cared for by the American Battlefield Monuments Commission.
Explore Brookwood with the For Evermore App
The For Evermore App contains virtual and in-person tours and stories of those we commemorate at Brookwood.
We have curated a 60-minute, 17-stop walking tour of Brookwood Military Cemetery that will take you through Brookwood, explain its history, and share some of the captivating stories of servicemen commemorated here.
Download the For Evermore App for free today and enhance your Brookwood visit.
Got a story of someone we commemorate at Brookwood Military Cemetery? Share it on For Evermore
For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen is our digital stories archive where we collect the stories of the war dead from both world wars commemorated by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
For Evermore: Stories of the Fallen is your opportunity to remember the stories that mean the most to you. Tell us about a relative, loved one or someone you have researched who today is commemorated at one of our cemeteries and memorials around the world.
We’ll collate your stories to create a single, searchable repository that honours the memory of the men and women across the Commonwealth who lost their lives during the world wars and ensure that these stories are available for the generations to come.
Head over to For Evermore to share your stories of those commemorated at Brookwood today.
Explore more: Brookwood & Beyond
Brookwood is just one part of our global work commemorating the Commonwealth’s fallen of the World Wars.
Here are some ways you can explore the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to learn more about who we are, what we do, and who we commemorate.
Find a name & search our recordsVisit usHow we care for war gravesGet involvedSupport the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation