Nairobi War Cemetery

• Country Kenya
• Total identified casualties 1942 Find these casualties
• Identified casualties from Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: -1.30902, Longitude: 36.74788

Location information

The War Cemetery is on the south-western outskirts of Nairobi, about 10 kilometres west of the city centre on Ngong Road, which is the main road to the Government Forest Reserve. The cemetery is adjacent to Nairobi race course and is included within the Ngong Forest Reserve. It is reached by way of a long driveway off Ngong Road, the turning being indicated by a CWGC direction sign.

Visiting information

PARKING

There is a car park at the cemetery with space for up to eight vehicles. The surface of the car park is firm and level.

ACCESS LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE

At the main entrance to the cemetery there are stone steps leading onto a firm and level path. Access is through metal gates, with an approximate clear opening of 1500 mm for each section. All the internal paths within the cemetery are firm and grass. There are also several level stone pathways within the site.

The cemetery has a Cross of Sacrifice, Stone of Remembrance and two memorials; the East African and Nairobi Memorial. At the main entrance to the cemetery is a shelter building. Inside are visitor benches and a Register Box.

The Stone of Remembrance is located on a raised platform accessible from cemetery level by stone steps from all four sides of the platform.

Around the cemetery are several stone and wooden benches for visitor seating.

ALTERNATIVE ACCESS

There is an alternative access point to the left-hand side of the main entrance of the cemetery. The alternative access point is marked with a signpost and provides step free access onto a firm, level threshold which opens into the cemetery.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

Nairobi War Cemetery is open every day between the following hours:

0600 hrs – 1800 hrs

Please note, there have been reported attacks in the vicinity of the cemetery. All visitors are strongly advised to take care and not carry any valuables when visiting the site. Visitors are advised not to walk the one-kilometre track to the cemetery from the main road but should travel to the cemetery entrance by vehicle only.

WILD MONKEYS

There are wild monkeys who live in and around the cemetery. We strongly advise that visitors do not approach or feed the wild monkeys in the cemetery.

History information

During the Second World War, Nairobi was the headquarters of the East African Force and the base for the conquest of, what was then known as Jubaland and Italian Somaliland, the liberation of British Somaliland and the sweep north-westwards to open Addis Ababa for the return of the Emperor. It was also a hospital centre; No.87 British General Hospital arrived in June 1943 and was still there in December 1945, while No.150 British General Hospital was there for a period in 1943.

The war cemetery was opened in 1941 by the military authorities. Besides the original burials, numerous graves were transferred to this cemetery from African civil cemeteries and temporary army burial grounds at Garissa, Gelib, Kinangop, Marsabit, Mega and other locations which at the time were inaccessible, so that it is now the largest war cemetery in East Africa.

NAIROBI WAR CEMETERY now contains 1,952 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 11 of which are unidentified. There are also 76 non-war burials and one French grave. It was designed by G. Vey.

Within the cemetery is the EAST AFRICA MEMORIAL, which commemorates men of the land forces who lost their lives in the advance from the south into Italian Somaliland and Ethiopia and during the occupation of those territories, and who have no known grave. Along with them are honoured those who died during the operations in Madagascar in 1942 and who have no known grave. Besides those who died in these campaigns, many men who were lost in the sinking of the troopship 'Khedive Ismail' en route to Ceylon on 12 February 1944 are commemorated here; they include a great part of the 301st Field Regiment, East African Artillery.

The cemetery also contains the NAIROBI MEMORIAL which commemorates 477 men of the United Kingdom, South African, and East African Forces who died in the non-operational zones of Kenya whilst in training, or on lines of communication or garrison duty, and whose graves could not be located or are so situated as to be unmaintainable.