Watchfield Military Cemetery
- Country United Kingdom
- Total identified casualties 19 Find these casualties
- Region Berkshire
- Identified casualties from Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 51.61083, Longitude: -1.64643
Location information
Watchfield is a hamlet lying 3 kilometres from Shrivenham, the nearest railway station, and about 13 kilometres from Swindon (Wilts). The military cemetery, which lies east of the Chapelyard of St. Thomas, was initially opened as an extension to the chapelyard towards the end of 1939 (the site was dedicated as a separate military burial ground in December 1940). It is entered through the Chapelyard, from which it is separated by a dividing wall.
History information
Large parts of Watchfield and a considerable part of Shrivenham were purchased by the War Office in the 1930's. During the Second World War Watchfield was the site of a prisoner of war camp and the Headquarters of a large Officer Corps Training Unit for the R.A. Searchlight and A.A. Battery. In addition, an RAF airfield was opened there in 1940 which operated until 1950 (it was then converted into an Army Camp, which operated until 1972). The cemetery contains the graves of 19 servicemen who died during the 1939- 1945 war, and this total is made up by 10 soldiers and 3 airmen belonging to the forces of the United Kingdom; 1 airman of the Royal Canadian Air Force; 1 airman of the Royal Australian Air Force; 1 soldier of the South African forces and 3 Polish airmen. Originally there were also a Belgian soldier and two Italian soldiers buried here, but after the war their remains were exhumed, the Belgian for repatriation and the Italians for re- burial in the Italian section of Brookwood Military Cemetery, Woking, Surrey.