Commonwealth War Memorials

[Guest john624]

Hello

Can anyone help me with my quest to find on what memorial the dead of the first world war from Canada New Zealand Austraila, and fianally South Africa are named what i require is the names of the countries memorial for France and Flanders only so if anyone out there can help me please email me the details and i would be very grateful.

[Terry Denham]

John

Sorry. It is not that easy!

The Commonwealth dead are commemorated at their burial location if possible but if they are missing they are then commemorated on official memorials. Their name does not appear on any official memorial if they have an official war grave.

There are 225 official memorials maintained by CWGC around the world.

Please try to explain in greater detail exactly what you want to find out and I'll see if I can help.

[christine liava'a]

In NZ there is a National War Memorial in Wellington, the capital city, which does not have names on it, just something like " those who died"

then there are provincial war memorials in different parts of the country.

The one in Auckland, where I live, consists of the Auckland War Memorial Museum, a whole building with a cenotaph outside on a large platform. Inside the building is a floor all about NZ's war history.

There is a group of rooms with the names of all the dead from Auckland Province inscribed on the marble walls. There is one large room for WW1 and another for WW2, and the circular room in between them contains the names from other wars. As well there is a book listing all the NZers who died, on display, on a special lectern, and one page is turned every day, showing new names.

http://www.akmuseum.org.nz/web/content.cfm?Id=164

As well, around the outside of the building, over each window, and on panels between windows are listed every major battle field where NZers fought.

Each province has its own memorial of some kind. And as well we have the Army Museum at Waiouru, the major military Camp in the North island, which has a memorial wall

http://www.armymuseum.co.nz/default.asp?CategoryID=100022, where the names of the dead are read aloud continuously.

But I don't think there would be any to France & Flanders particularly.

NZ's major war effort in WW1 was at Gallipoli, although of course we fought in France as well, later, which is why we celebrate Anzac Day rather than Somme day or similar.

Towns & organizations such as schools also have their own memorials for their own local people, and there are some CWGC graves in various cemeteries around the country

This article may be of some use to you

http://www.nzhistory.net.nz/Gallery/Anzac/memorial/

[christine liava'a]

John, On rereading your post, I wondered if you meant memorials in the battlefields. If so, NZ has 8 specific cemeteries with memorials for our men from WW1 in the actual battlefields. These are,

1 CATERPILLAR VALLEY (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL France Somme

2CHUNUK BAIR (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL Turkey

3 CITE BONJEAN (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL France Nord

4 GREVILLERS (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL France Pas de Calais

5 HILL 60 (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL Turkey

6 MARFAUX (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL France Marne

7 NEW ZEALAND No.2 OUTPOST CEMETERY Turkey

8TWELVE TREE COPSE (NEW ZEALAND) MEMORIAL Turkey

and other soldiers were buried in various general graveyards

[Terry Denham]

Christine

Do not forget the Tyne Cot Memorial at Passchendaele.

Even though CWGC do not classify it as a separate memorial, the New Zealand section is a separate rotunda off the main memorial.

[Guest tonia]

There is a website I've been looking at today for Australia. It's kind of along the same lines as CWGC....OK, looking at it again, it's only ww2, but here's the url anyway, in case it helps anyone:

http://www.ww2roll.gov.au

It's quite interesting how many people listed were born in UK.

Tonia.

[Jacky Platteeuw]

And the often forgot Memorial Walls in Buttes New British Cemetery,Polygon Wood, Zonnebeke commemorating 383 missing New Zealanders.

Jacky

[paul guthrie]

The Auckland War Memorial Museum not only commemorates New Zealanders who died , also foreigners who died in its uniform such as Rifleman Samuell Douthitt Hill of Henry County Kentucky who I wrote about in Stand To! I think it was published 2001.There is a fine memorial to him in cemetery in New Castle, Kentucky a replica of the headstone of a Christian US WW1 soldier with his name and service on 1 side, burial information the other.

I had a real dilemna with this man, his headstone at Somme American Cemetery, Bony, had his name as Samuel and a letter said to be copied to his brother, an AEF lawyer, had the name spelled that way so presumably he knew of the error and did nothing though at the insistence of their mother he was very active in having him moved to a US Cemetery and reburied in a metal casket.

Samuell was his mothers maiden name. His memorial is between the graves of parents and name is spelled right. Dilemna over, I had ABMC give him a new headstone spelled right.

If anyone would like this story & does not have ST! I can email it to you.

RIP Sam Hill.