complaint about the state of ww1 graves in my local cemetry

[rachelwilsdon]

Hi all,

After a quick visit to a firends grave at the Canterbury cemetery I walk past a memorial which said, it was deadicated to the soldiers of the first world war who was buired in this cemetery, so me and my mum thought we would go and see them.

We was horrified and upset by what we found, the graves were in a shocking state.

They were all mixed around and dirty, some of them we had to wipe to read the names, where as, when we came to the second world war gaves, they were all neat in a seprate section, in rows, all clean and tidy, It reallyupset us, to see that what looked like the dead of the first world war forgotten.

Ok rant over.

From Rachel.

[Terry Denham]

Were they private headstones or CWGC stones?

[rachelwilsdon]

they were cwgc headstones, thats what made me mad, it was like they had been forgotten.

[Terry Denham]

CWGC will probably have an agreement with the cemetery authority for them to maintain the area.

Report the matter to CWGC's UK Area Office via the CWGC website and the situation should be rectified in due course.

[rachelwilsdon]

CWGC will probably have an agreement with the cemetery authority for them to maintain the area.

Report the matter to CWGC's UK Area Office via the CWGC website and the situation should be rectified in due course.

yeah I've done that, but I thought I'd put im rant on here, in case anyone else had come across anything like it before.

and hoping that, it might get some attention, and make people feel guilty.

[dfaulder]

Try contacting CWGC via their website and report what you found - if no one tells them ...

http://www.cwgc.org/contact.asp?menuid=7&a...=20&catid=6

David

[matthew lucas]

have seen this far too often it has to be said. A cemetery in wolverhampton that held a large number of CWGC headstones from the Great War was in a very poor state, after complaining it was, eventually sorted out, but the rest of the cemetery reamins opoor and neglected. Very close by is a impressive memorial to local men who fell during the War, on one 11 Nov I visited it, and was saddened to see it covered in broken bottles, graffitee and not a wreath in sight, totaly forgotton and neglected by the locals...

matt

[woolly]

Rachel,

How many are there and to which units do they belong? In addition to the CWGC you could notify the respective Regimental Headquarters' of the descendant regiments as well. That might help to shift things along as well!

Woolly

[rachelwilsdon]

Rachel,

How many are there and to which units do they belong? In addition to the CWGC you could notify the respective Regimental Headquarters' of the descendant regiments as well. That might help to shift things along as well!

Woolly

Woolly,

There could have been at least 100 graves, but it was hard to tell as they were all over the shop, sarttered amogst the "normal graves", and they belonged to loads of different regemntens, but i think about 20 belonged to the Buffs. I emeiled my local paper to see if they might put something it that, as "family" history is very in at the momnet, and it was the 90th anniversary ect.. There was also a couple of saliors from the first world war as well buried there.

rachel.

[geraint]

I've got one here in a very neglected part of an old cemetry in town. Last burials in the late 1970s are just as neglected as the 1919 one.

[bantamforgot]

What happens to a war grave in a town cemetery when the latter is no longer used & closed? I remember the case of the Sth. Irish Horse soldier in Doncaster.

Colin.

[auchonvillerssomme]

It was me that put up the pics of the South Irish Horse and others in Doncaster Cemetery, I did receive an assuarance that they have been dealt with and I go look at some time. If you remember the reasons given were that the CWGC were chased from the cemetery by local youths.

Mick

[bantamforgot]

Hi Mick,

From my past enquries it was just the same. Hope it is different when you call.

Colin

[matthew lucas]

my local cemetery back in St Asaph north wales had a number of CWGC graves from both wars, including my great unce, it was totally overgrown and neglected, no new burials for some time. however the war graves were looked after, well the grass was cut near them, through a contract with a local gardaner. however this has stoped a few years ago, on previous visits it was in a terrable state, but i was glad to see that the last time, the local army cadets were looking ater the war graves, and i was able to give them information for a display they were doing on the RWF.

matt

[John_Hartley]

Does anyone (Terry D ?) know how regularly CWGC might inspect plots? Annually? Less often?

Seems to me that we get these sort of threads more often than I'd expect and, whilst I understand that much of the maintenance is done under local contract, you have to wonder how compliance inspection is actually done to see if contractors are performing.

[Terry Denham]

Usually every three years or so but it can vary.

That is why they rely to some degree on public reports. Not all responsible authorities comply with their maintenance agreements.

The major plots are cared for by CWGC teams.

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Terry

Does the Commission make agreements with local individuals, the likes of Forum Members with an interest, to tend graves on the Commission's behalf or are such agreements only made with the Authority responsible for the burial location?

Dave

[Terry Denham]

Dave

I have not heard of one but that does not mean it does not happen. They have programmes for schools, cadet groups etc to help out. It may be possible for an individual to make a formal arrangement.

They cannot really make an agreement with anyone without the co-operation/approval of the cemetery authority.

[HERITAGE PLUS]

Terry

Thanks

Dave

[John_Hartley]

Thanks, Terry.

[Alan Tucker]

Before Christmas I tracked down some scattered CWGC Great War headstones in Sutton Coldfield Cemetery in north Birmingham. They were covered in a horrible green mould. I e-mailed Birmingham City Council Cemeteries Department to complain but did not get a helpful reply.

[Terry Denham]

If you want to see what CWGC is trying to do about the scattered war graves in the UK, see here

http://www.cwgc.org/content.asp?id=42&menu=subsub

[geraint]

my local cemetery back in St Asaph north wales .

matt

Which one's that? Not the Cathederal cemetery on top of the hill?

[matthew lucas]

no the cemetery on mount road, you know it? opposite the Catherdral, top of town. if you go down the road the first enterence is te old cemetery, with ten members of my family in it from 19C to about a 15 year ago

matt