Cleethorpes Cemetery

[Steve Bramley]

Can anyone comment on the reason for this:

I live close to Cleethorpes cemetery in Lincolnshire, which is divided by a footpath. There are two sets of War Graves and two crosses of memorial, one in each half.

The newer half contains the familiar 'regimented' war graves, all WW2. The 'old' half however contains about 170 graves from WW1 which are scattered randomly!

Is this usual for the UK?

The 'old' side also contains a memorial for the 3rd Bat. Manchester regt. 30 of whom were killed by a Zeppelin raid on 1/7/16 while on coastal defence duty.

[Terry Denham]

Steve

This is not at all unusual and will be found in many local authority cemeteries in the UK.

WW1 burials in UK were at the discretion of the relatives and there was often no set plot in a cemetery for war graves and hence the scattered nature of the burials. This did not neccessarily apply to cemeteries in garrison towns or Royal Naval ports which were used to regular service burials - and obviously not in military owned cemeteries.

At the time of WW2 (when it had all been seen before) most local authorities set aside plots for war burials. These were not compulsory and some were little used - again leading to scattered graves. However, some were heavily used creating the now familiar plots in local cemeteries.

In such cemeteries you will still find scattered WW2 graves as some relatives preferred less public locations. Some of the scattered graves are difficult to spot as they have private headstones - an option open to the next of kin of casualties who died in the UK and other 'home' countries in both wars.

[gem22]

Steve

I've looked round two of the three cemeteries in Cambridge. One of them, no longer in use, contains a large number of scattered CWGC graves, but no cross. The main cemetery, still in use, contains 3 plots as well as a number of individual graves. Of the 3 plots two have crosses, one plot is for WW1 Imperial troops, the second is for WW1 Commonwealth troops; the third plot, without a cross, is for WW2 troops, both British and Commonwealth.

I have also come across a cemetery where WW1 are scattered around the old part of the cemetery but all WW2 graves are gathered in a single plot in the newer extension.

Garth

[Terry Denham]

but all WW2 graves are gathered in a single plot in the newer extension

The scene Garth describes is very typical.

However, I would be wary about saying that 'all' WW2 graves are together in a plot (or WW1 for that matter). This is very often not the case as there will be a number with private headstones elsewhere. Usually only those with CWGC headstones are found in the organised war plots.

[gem22]

Terry

Point taken but in that particular cemetery, which is fairly small, they were all in one plot. However, in others I have visited, you are quite right, they are scattered around; even those with official CWGC headstones.

Garth

[Steve Bramley]

Thanks for the explanations, I've often wondered. I went for a stroll around the 'new' section of the cemetery this afternoon and did find three other WW2 headstones (CWGC) in other parts than the set plot.

The cemetery that Garth describes in Cambridge with no cross, For some reason (I think i may have read it somewhere) i thought all sites that containeed CWGC headstones had to contain a memorial cross?

Steve

[Terry Denham]

Steve

Not all sites. The general CWGC rule is that sites with more than 40 casualties have a cross but this only applies to CWGC owned cemeteries or plots.

In local authority operated cemeteries with no CWGC maintained plot or no separate plot at all, it was down to the authority or the local populace if they wished to erect a cross. Some did, some didn't.

Not all the war plots in local cemeteries are maintained by CWGC.

[Steve Bramley]

Thanks Terry.

[Bombadier]

I have just finished photographing the headstones in St Mary's churchyard in the walls of Portchester castle, Hampshire, for "The British War Memorial Project".

4 WW1 graves, roughly together, 25 WW2 scattered throughout the graveyard. No cross.

Private Falklands memorial as well.

Beautiful spot!

Nigel Deacon