100 years of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Graves Commission exhibition at Brookwood Cemetery

It is impossible to do a First World War project without encountering the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC). I visit the website several times a week, if not day sometimes, I only have to type ‘c’ into the address bar for the site to come up. Whilst the website is an invaluable research tool, it is to say nothing of the physical work that is done in tending to the 1.7 million graves across 154 countries. 

This May has seen the CWGC marking the 100th anniversary of its establishment by Royal Charter (in 1917 it was known as the Imperial War Graves Commission). However, the groundwork actually began some years earlier when Fabian Ware, a commander of a mobile unit of the British Red Cross, began recording all the graves he and his unit could find. The CWGC website says ‘By 1915, their work was given official recognition by the War office, and incorporated into the British Army as the Graves Registration Commission (http://www.cwgc.org/about-us/history-of-cwgc.aspx).

To mark this anniversary, the CWGC have launched an exhibition at their Brookwood Cemetery called ‘For Then | For Now | For Ever’ (http://blog.cwgc.org/brookwood-exhibition). It tells the story of the CWGC from its beginning right through to today, and does not shy away from controversial aspects of its work. When you think of a war cemetery, you probably picture rows of matching white headstones with regimental insignia. However, one of the items on display at the exhibition is a petition with ‘more than 8000 signatures – predominantly from mothers who had lost sons in the Great War – asking the Commission to reconsider the use of a uniform marker in favour of a cross.’ (http://www.cwgc.org/news-events/news/2017/4/brookwood-exhibition.aspx)

The exhibition was opened on 20 May by Brian Blessed OBE. In his speech, Blessed said ‘The CWGC has done an incredible job over the last 100 years and long may it continue. I would urge everyone who can to visit the exhibition, and also their local war graves, find out the stories behind the headstones and commemorate those who ‘gave their tomorrow for our today.’’ (http://www.cwgc.org/news-events/news/2017/5/brookwood-exhibition.aspx)

David Domoney’s design for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission garden at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show http://blog.cwgc.org/chelsea/

To mark the significant horticultural aspect of the Commission’s work (it employs 850 gardeners), they approached David Domoney to help create a garden for the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, which was awarded a silver medal. You can read about the development and creation of the garden on the Commonwealth War Graves’ blog: http://blog.cwgc.org/chelsea/

The exhibition at Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking, Surrey, is open 10am-4pm, seven days a week until 19 November 2017.