CWGC amends names of soldiers incorrectly inscribed on Indian memorial

The names of two British First World War soldiers incorrectly inscribed on the Kirkee 1914-1918 Memorial in India have been amended by the Commission.

The memorial stands in the CWGC Kirkee War Cemetery, also known locally as Khadki War Cemetery. It was built to commemorate more than 1,800 servicemen and women who died during the First World War whose graves in civil and cantonment cemeteries in India and Pakistan, were considered to be in locations that were becoming unmaintainable.

Earlier this year, relatives of Francis Lionel Ifield, of the British West Indies Regiment, and John Alfred North, of the Royal Army Service Corps, informed the Commission the soldiers’ names were wrongly inscribed on the memorial as France L I and North J Now, instead of Ifield F L and North J A.

The error was confirmed by the Commission, and this week corrected.

Graham Walder, Technical Manager (Works) Africa and Asia Pacific Area, said: “Through our cemeteries, people come to know the immense contribution and extreme sacrifice of soldiers. Therefore, it is important for us to inscribe their correct names on the memorial panels and the CWGC does take care of such aspects on priority. With the help of our masonry team, we completed the work this week.”

Richard Hills, Director of Africa and Asia Pacific Area, added: “This is an excellent example of the important specialist work that our teams carry out in addition to their normal duties. It also sits within a much broader global programme being conducted by the Commission, to ensure that all our memorials are appropriately updated with names that have been added to the casualty register over time.”