CWGC Launches #RememberedHere to highlight UK War Graves

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is encouraging the British public to engage with the stories of the war dead in their hometowns with its #RememberedHere campaign.

Nearly one-fifth of the World War dead commemorated by the CWGC are at sites on British soil, in almost every town and village in the country.

Unlike elsewhere in the world, there are very few dedicated war cemeteries in the UK. Instead, 306,000 commemorations are spread across more than 12,000 sites with often just one or two war graves per location in churchyards, burials grounds and private cemeteries.

In a new social media campaign CWGC is asking for the UK public’s help to remember these men and women.

Every week CWGC will share across its social media platforms the story of someone who is #RememberedHere and the public are invited to share photos and stories of war dead remembered in their hometowns too.

Lynelle Howson, assistant historian for CWGC, said: “It’s so simple to find a little piece of World War history near your hometown. With a few simple clicks you can find the CWGC war graves and memorials closest to you and learn who is remembered there.

“Our war graves were designed to be visited and any trip, even just to your local churchyard to pause for a moment, plays a part in our promise to remember the fallen.

“We’d love to see the local stories people unearth as they explore these important parts of the history and heritage in their area and share their #RememberedHere reflections.”

To take part people can simply take a photo or series of photos of a CWGC site near them and post them on Twitter, tagging in @CWGC and Instagram, tagging in @commonwealthwargraves with the hashtag #RememberedHere.

To find your nearest war grave simply enter your postcode on the following page: www.cwgc.org/find/find-nearby-cemeteries