23 September 2025
CWGC publishes report which reveals unequal commemoration for casualties of the Second World War
We have today published a landmark report revealing historical inequalities in how Second World War casualties from the former British Empire were commemorated.
Read the report Read our response to the report
The report, titled 'Remembering the dead of the British Empire', is part of our ongoing commitment to investigate and address historical injustices in its commemorative work.
Drawing on extensive archival research, the report found that while no groups were systematically excluded, the then Imperial War Graves Commission (IWGC) delivered unequal outcomes for some of the war dead.
The findings highlight a number of issues that led to disparities in commemorative practices:
Unequal Treatment:
The remains of up to 7,500 African servicemen were potentially abandoned in temporary graves, while up to 1,200 Muslim Indian soldiers were left on battlefields. The report also found that more than 32,000 Indian army casualties were commemorated on paper scrolls instead of stone or bronze.
Lack of Family Engagement: Unlike families in the UK, those in India and African colonies were not sent verification forms, denying them the chance to confirm personal details or request inscriptions on headstones.
Incomplete Records:
Civilian war deaths were under-reported across the British Empire, particularly in areas that were heavily fought over or occupied.
Our Chief Operating Officer, Barry Murphy, said the organisation 'fully acknowledges that the unequal treatment highlighted by this report was wrong then and is unacceptable now.'
He added: "We are committed to meaningful redress, and that work is already underway through a dedicated global programme to restore equality in commemoration."
The new report and its accompanying action plan build on a 2021 commitment to rectify historical gaps in commemoration.
The CWGC has confirmed that its global program is already active across multiple regions to restore burial sites, reinstate headstones, and improve records to ensure a fully inclusive and transparent commemorative landscape for the future.