Islamic Graves

[Roger34]

Hi,

A local school has asked for help with finding a Islamic grave to visit on the Somme later this year. Can anyone help with a location in a CWGC cemetery?

Roger

[Michelle Young]

Ayette Indian and Chinese cemetery, though strictly not Somme springs to mind.

https://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/64501/ayette-indian-and-chinese-cemetery/

 

Also the big French cemetery on the outskirts of Albert should have some, though it is years since I was last there. 

 

Michelle 

[Guest]

  Although -obviously- nowhere near the Somme, I put up the details of Marsa Turkish Military Cemetery on Malta- which I believe is the only  "all-Moslem" cemetery maintained by CWGC-and an interesting story.  Even more interesting is that access is controlled by the Turkish Consul(?)

 

 

TURKISH MILITARY CEMETERY, MARSA

Country	Malta
Total identified casualties	11Find these records
Casualties from	First & Second World War
GPS Coordinates	Latitude: 35.87378  Longitude: 14.49422

 

 

Visiting Information

This cemetery is kept locked and acess must be pre-arranged in advance with the Turkish Embassy. Visitors are requested to contact the CWGC in advance via one of the following: E-mail: mark.fitzgerald@cwgc.org or maoffice@cwgc.org Tel: +356 99891837 or +356 21450107 Fax: +356 21450107 Post: 37 Rhapsody, Triq L-Inbid, Attard, Malta. For further information and enquiries please contact enquiries@cwgc.org

History Information

From the spring of 1915, the hospitals and convalescent depots established on the islands of Malta and Gozo dealt with over 135,000 sick and wounded, chiefly from the campaigns in Gallipoli and Salonika, although increased submarine activity in the Mediterranean meant that fewer hospital ships were sent to the island from May 1917. During the Second World War, Malta's position in the Mediterranean was of enormous Allied strategic importance. Heavily fortified, the island was never invaded, but was subjected to continual bombardment and blockade between Italy's entry into the war in June 1940 and the Axis defeat at El Alamein in November 1942. At the height of Axis attempts to break Malta's resistance in April 1942, the island and her people were awarded the George Cross by King George VI. Malta's defence relied upon a combined operation in which the contributions made by the three branches of the armed forces and Merchant Navy were equally crucial. Although heavily pressed in defence, offensive raids launched from the island by air and sea had a crippling effect on the Axis lines of communication with North Africa, and played a vital part in the eventual Allied success there. Turkish Military Cemetery, Marsa was made by Turkish prisoners of war during the First World War. The Turkish graves are unmarked, but the cemetery now contains seven Commonwealth burials of the First World War and four from the Second World War. The Commission also cares for 15 French war graves in the cemetery.

[KGB]

Many around Ypres, I also saw some near La Bassee.

[Ancre1917]

I would think that any of the French cemeteries on the Somme would include an Islamic grave.  As well as Albert, which is big,, there are several south of the river such as  the Nécropole national de Biaches and another at Dompierre-Becquincourt. Several Division d'infanterie coloniale fought here in the opening days of the 1916 battle. On the way from Calais, Notre Dame de Lorette (the main French memorial in the area) would be a good bet.  There's also the stone circle there which contains the names of all those Allied and German men and women who died in this part of France during the Great War.  Some of them must have been Muslims serving in the British or French armies.

Richard

[MickLeeds]

Try searching the CWGC site with names such as Mohammed.

 

 

https://www.cwgc.org/find/find-war-dead/results?lastName=Mohammed&war=1

 

Mick.

Edited 25 May , 2018 by MickLeeds

[Steven Broomfield]

Roger, be aware that CWGC Muslim graves are not immediately obvious in the way that French ones are. They are the same design as 'normal' ones, and are simply identified by the inscription.

 

As all Indian graves are similarly inscribed (although in the relevant sub-Continent language - Urdu, generally, for Muslims) so again, it is slightly complex to establish the Muslim from the Sikh or Hindu other than by name.

 

A good place to go is Neuve Chappelle, where there is the Indian Memorial and there are quite a few Indian dead buried in adjacent cemeteries.

[ulsterlad2]

Hi Roger,

Not the Somme but very near in Arras the Faubourg d'Amiens Cemetery has some Islamic graves

 

Location Information

Faubourg-d'Amiens Cemetery is in the western part of the town of Arras in the Boulevard du General de Gaulle, near the Citadel, approximately 2 Kms due west of the railway station. The GPS coordinates for the cemetery are 50.28670, 2.76057

[keithmroberts]

There are quite a few Indian Army graves at the Authuille Military Cemetery. Some are definitely not in Urdu, but my memory is insufficiently clear on that. I will probably be nearby for a few days in late June  and always visit that cemetery when I am on the Somme. My itinerary is uncertain at present.

 

Keith

[EAST YORKSHIRE]

Norfolk cemetery, spotted it last week.  Ian.

[EAST YORKSHIRE]

Just checking CWGC for that cemetery and it has a Nur Muhammad resting in there, I could not remember the name on the headstone when I was there but remembered it because it faced Mecca!  hope this helps  Ian.

[keithmroberts]

La Chapelette British and Indian Cemetery  Peronne has many Indian Army graves. Some clearly have the name Muhammed. A  full list of graves there can be downloaded from the CWGC website.

 

Keith