Bulawayo (Athlone) Cemetery
- Country Zimbabwe
- Total identified casualties 146 Find these casualties
- Identified casualties from First & Second World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: -20.12167, Longitude: 28.59161
Please note
Please be aware of low kerbs, which could prove a trip hazard. There may be stray dogs in the area.
Historical Note
Within this cemetery, 4 graves of the First World War were never individually marked. These casualties were instead commemorated by name on Harare Memorial. Work is now underway to see if any of these graves can be restored.
You can find more information about historical inequalities in commemoration in our Special Committee’s report.
Location information
Bulawayo (Athlone) Cemetery is a large Civil Cemetery in Bulawayo town. Starting from Empire House (the Branch and Headquarters of the Legion) on the corner of 6th Avenue and Main Street, drive north along the Main Street for 1.2 kilometres to a crossroads where Main Street becomes Athlone Avenue. Continue along Athlone Avenue for a further 2 kilometres and the Civil Cemetery will be found on the right, the inconspicuous entrance being about 150 metres before the railway bridge. The Commission plot is easily identified by the Cross of Sacrifice.
Visiting information
ARRIVAL
There are no signs to the cemetery.
The CWGC section is in the top right-hand corner of the cemetery if entering from the main entrance gate.
PARKING
There is no car park at the cemetery.
There are single lane tracks running throughout the civil cemetery from the main entrance. One of the tracks runs close to the CWGC section and it is possible to park on the track, close to the entrance of the CWGC section.
The surface of the track is earth and dust, the ground is firm and flat.
ACCESS, LAYOUT AND MAIN ENTRANCE
The cemetery is rectangular shaped.
At the main entrance to the CWGC section, there is a gap of approximately 3 metres with a pillar on either side. There is a raised stone kerb, approximately 50 mm high along the entrance.
The Cross of Sacrifice is positioned close to the centre of the cemetery in line with the entrance.
The internal path from the entrance leading into the cemetery is a mixture of gravel and soil; the ground is firm and flat. There are raised stone kerbs on either side of the pathway, approximately 150 mm high.
The burial areas on either side of the pathway are covered with uncompacted gravel.
There are two benches on either side of the Cross of Sacrifice.
There is currently no Register Box in the cemetery.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Visitors should be aware that there may be stray dogs in the area.
The cemetery is open every day between 0600 hrs to 1800 hrs.
History information
Bulawayo (Athlone) Cemetery belongs to the Town Council. (Here was buried Sir Charles Coghland, the first Prime Minister of Southern Rhodesia; but in 1930 he was reburied 43 kilometres away on the Matopo Hills, near the graves of Rhodes and Jameson).
There are 7 Commonwealth burials of the 1914-1918 war and a further 133 of the 1939-1945 war. There are also 24 non world war burials and 6 Greek burials.