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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Gallipoli plaques in UK


Phil Wood

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A few years back the CWGC installed some of the so-called Gallipoli plaques on war graves in a local cemetery.

 

A quick explanation for those unaware - Gallipoli plaques are the standard form of CWGC headstone in the cemeteries on the Gallipoli peninsula.  They may well be used elsewhere but this is how they got the name.

 

CGWC has a responsibility to ensure that the graves of the fallen are maintained and that the names of the fallen can be read.  As many graves of the fallen buried in the UK have family headstones the CWGC has no nead to act until the family headstone becomes illegible. At that point they have tranditionally installed a conventional CWGC stone on the grave - not always sympathetically.

 

Gallipoli plaques offer a more sympathic way of marking family graves, less instrusive yet serving the purpose of marking the grave as the resting place of one of the fallen.

 

However - they don't seem to be lasting all that well!

 

Here is the newly installed plaque on the grave of Alexander Herbert Davis photographed in October 2011

 

 

Davis AH Oct 2011.JPG

And he is the same plaque under 5 years later.

 

 

Davis AH Aug 2016.JPG

Edited by Phil Wood
correction of typo
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Hi Phil

What is the headstone made of, is it the traditional Portland stone,Botticino (limestone) type or even a Turkish variant. Either way that appears to be serious contamination, considering Newtown Road is not a major thoroughfare anymore it is difficult to attribute the deterioration.

 

John

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These two are from Beckenham Cemetery. The CWGC documentation says that they are both made from Portland stone and although I don't know the date they were installed, the orders for them were placed in May 2010. Both photos were taken in August 2014.

 

 

A H Stringer crop.jpg

F G Grahame crop.jpg

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2 hours ago, Phil Wood said:

 so-called Gallipoli plaques 

 

 

This design is officially referred to as 'Dutch Stool' 

and it is in use in other theatres, not just on the Gallipoli peninsula

 

 

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I'm no expert but I suspect it is Portland limestone.  The 'contamination' is lichen actually showing a lack of atmospheric pollution - the Newtown Road Cemetery has a fine selection of lichens.

 

I'm not sure I approve of Dutch stools in our cemetery!

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