Celebrating the coronation at the CWGC

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has always maintained very close ties with the Royal Family.

The then Imperial War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter in 1917 and the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII, was appointed as our first President. 

In 1922, King George V began a series of visits to our newly established sites in France and Belgium. This ‘King’s Pilgrimage’ was the first of many royal visits to our cemeteries and memorials around the world.

The coronation of King Charles III will mark the fifth monarch to have reigned during the Commission’s existence, another milestone in our commitment to care for the Commonwealth fallen of the world wars in perpetuity.   

Like the rest of the Commonwealth, we’re eagerly anticipating the upcoming coronation, and have looked through our archives to discover what CWGC fingerprints remain on the previous ceremonies. 

King George VI, 1937

King George VI came to the throne following the abdication of his brother King Edward VIII and was crowned alongside Queen Elizabeth on 12 May 1937. 

The coronation is traditionally preceded by a procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Abbey. To take part in the procession is a huge honour, reserved for members of the Royal Family, nobility, heads of state and invited guests.

Royal group on the occasion of the coronation of King George VI. National Portrait Gallery

In 1937, the procession included some important faces from the Commission’s history. 

Sir Frederic Kenyon, Director of the British Museum and president of the British Academy, is an instrumental figure in the establishment of the CWGC’s work around the world. 

In the early days of our work, Kenyon was instructed by our Vice-Chairman Sir Fabian Ware to “decide between the various proposals submitted to him as to the architectural treatment and laying out of cemeteries”. His recommendations, outlined in The Kenyon Report, laid the foundation of our work across the globe. 

Kenyon took part in the coronation procession while performing his duties as Gentleman Usher of the Purple Rod, a position he held between 1918 and 1952. 

Stanley Baldwin, then Prime Minister, was also a member of the Commission at the time of the coronation in 1937 and was part of the procession to Westminster Abbey. Baldwin’s ties to the Commission do not end there, as he was cousin to Rudyard Kipling, another prominent figure in the history of the CWGC. 

The coronation celebrations were continued throughout the Commission.

Our records show that special ceremonies were organised at both Arras and Ypres for our staff and their families. The following staff were also nominated for the George VI Coronation Medal:

Lt. Col. F Higginson, Major A MacFarlane, M.C., C R Kirton and Miss D F Munday

On the morning of the Coronation, a special reception was given at the Commission’s offices in Arras; including a broadcast of the service from Westminster in the afternoon. The following day, a garden party and fete were thrown, and then at the Palace Cinema, a film of the Coronation ceremony and procession was shown. 

Queen Elizabeth II, 1953

By the 1950s, the role of the Commission had expanded to commemorate the fallen of the Second World War. 

Prince Edward, the Duke of Kent, and cousin to the new Queen, was of course in attendance at the coronation. 

The Duke of Kent became our President in 1970 and has now given more than 50 years of service to the Commission, visiting our sites around the world and paying tribute to the fallen of the two world wars.  

Duke of Kent at Neuve-Chappelle and at Brookwood

Admiral Sir Martin Eric Dunbar-Nasmith was in the procession in his capacity of Vice-Admiral of the United Kingdom. At the time of the coronation, he was also our Vice-Chairman, holding the position between 1948 and 1954.

Sir Winston Churchill attended both the 1937 and 1953 coronations. In his position as Secretary of State for War in Lloyd George’s government following the end of the First World War, Churchill was Chairman of the IWGC, and played a key role in supporting the work of the Commission when it was debated in parliament in 1920. 

As in 1937, several Commission staff were nominated for the Coronation Medal:

W J Chalmers, C Cleal, W F W Harding, A F Menzies, A N Norris, A K Pallot, D A Stewart, S H Stock, E Blunden, P W C Bain

Our records show that, in place of the annual re-union in Arras, Coronation parties were thrown instead to celebrate the event. A reception was also thrown at the Hôtel Univers in Arras, attended by the local prefect, bishop and other local dignitaries. 

We are all looking forward to the upcoming coronation and celebrating our new King, who has paid many visits to the CWGC's sites across the world. But after the celebrations are over, we will go back to caring for the fallen of the two world wars in perpetuity. 

Did you know?

The CWGC is referenced in one of the special edition Coronation stamps released by the Royal Mail to celebrate the big event.

The stamp depicts the values of the Commonwealth, highlighting some of the flags of Commonwealth countries and the principles of democracy, cooperation and peace.

In the background, you can see athletes competing in the Commonwealth games, cargo ships representing international trade, and the depiction of a CWGC cemetery, commemorating the shared sacrifice of all of the nations of the Commonwealth during the two world wars.