Bolarum cavalry barracks cemetery,Secunderabad,India

[DavidWFox]

This is about my uncle - Albert Charles Fox 154173 - died 29/4/1917 - Sapper RE - buried at the above cemetery and also commemorated on the Madras War Memorial Chennai - and the war memorial in his home village of Shepherdswell, Dover, Kent.

I don't know if the cemetery still exists - Bolarum Cavalary Barracks, NE SEcunderabad, is still shown on modern maps but no cemetery.

Have any of the Pals ever visited Secunderbad ? Are there any Pals in India who possibly could, on their travels, visit Bolarum and report back via this site ? Are any Pals planning to visit Hyderabad/Secunderabad area on their travels ? If so could they have a look see and let me know if the cemetery is still there and is uncle Albert's grave stone there ?

Perhaps one day I can get to visit this site and pay my respects.

Many thanks

Dave Fox

[roel22]

As silly as it may seem, if you happen to know where the cemetery is (was) located you should try Google Earth. The Bolarum area gives an incredibly sharp picture.

Roel

[Guest Stephen Stafford-Bush]

Hi David, I wish I had seen your email before I went overseas but have just come across it. We were in India 4 weeks ago following in family footsteps and went to Bolarum in Secunderabad. I'm unsure if there is an army cemetery, but there is a church with a cemetery attached directly opposite the army base which certainly has a large number of British graves. Inside the church there are about 50 or so plaques in remeberance of British deaths, particularly British soldiers from WWI as well as from the 1857 mutiny wars and other times. The Church has its own website (address attached) http://htcbolarum.org/churchhistory.html. The pastor of the church may be able to assist you. When we were in India we found the priests and pastors very helpful. I have given my email address below in case you wish to know more and can send you a photo of the church as well as the cemetery if you wish. naust@xtra.co.nz

Regards Stephen Stafford-Bush

[Guest abcd]

Hi David,

My name is Noel Johns. I currently live near Bolarum, Secunderabad and happened to come across this post while reading up about the WW1 history of the city. I would be very happy to assist you in locating your uncle's grave. Let me know if I can provide any other help regarding the graves in Secunderabad.

Regards,

Noel Johns.

[MaureenE]

Hi Noel

I do volunteer research for FIBIS, Families in British India Society. http://www.fibis.org

The FIBIS database includes photographs of graves in cemeteries. FIBIS would be very interested in any photographs you are able to supply in respect of British graves

I have sent you a PM (Private Message)

Cheers

Maureen

The link in post 3 no longer works, here is an archived version.

https://web.archive.org/web/20130902222146/http://htcbolarum.org/churchhistory.html

[David_Underdown]

I'm interested in Henry John Dewey http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1465529/DEWEY,%20HENRY%20JOHN if you did have chance to get a grave photo that would be great. Eventually he will be among the people I will cover on http://halfmuffled.wordpress.com so I'd like to be able to use the photo on there, and it would also be appreciated for his entry on http://cccbr.org.uk/rolls

Note that the CWGC cemetery description http://www.cwgc.org/find-a-cemetery/cemetery/5001713/BOLARUM%20CAVALRY%20BARRACKS%20CEMETERY states "The cemetery is also known as the Mount of Olives Society Christian Cemetery"

Digitised burial records for most of these are now on FindMyPast (among their India Office collections from the British Library, from annual returns sent up to the India Office by the local clergy) but they don't give any plot details etc.. Confusingly the entry for Dewey gives his first forename as Herbert, and conflicting with the CWGC entry gives the burial place as North Trimulgherry cemetery, but this may be an error when the return was prepared for from teh original register for the India Office (the burial above is recorded as Bolarum)