Willesden Jewish Cemetery
- Country United Kingdom
- Total identified casualties 114 Find these casualties
- Region Middlesex
- Identified casualties from First & Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 51.5477, Longitude: -0.24206
History information
During the two world wars, the United Kingdom became an island fortress used for training troops and launching land, sea and air operations around the globe. There are more than 170,000 Commonwealth war graves in the United Kingdom, many being those of servicemen and women killed on active service, or who later succumbed to wounds. Others died in training accidents, or because of sickness or disease. The graves, many of them privately owned and marked by private memorials, will be found in more than 12,000 cemeteries and churchyards.
Willesden Jewish Cemetery contains burials of both wars. Of the 33 First World War graves, six form a small plot by the assembly hall and 22 of the 78 Second World War burials form a separate plot. The rest of the graves are scattered throughout the cemetery.
In place of the more usual Cross of Sacrifice, a specially designed memorial to men and women of the Jewish faith who lost their lives in both wars stands opposite the Second World War plot. The memorial is in the form of an obelisk and was the first Jewish national war memorial to be erected in the United Kingdom.