Unloved looking plots/gravestones

Then you see one like this and all is forgiven.

Nottingham Rock Cemetery.



You might even find the Sheriff there somewhere!

 

There's been some pretty depressing damage at the Gaza CWGC cemetery recently (by both sides).
Reading around; Ibrahim Jerradeh MBE, who's repairing the damage, is a top bloke.



Well done Ibrahim!

 

Cremation for me too. Even thought about where I want them to be scattered. Close to my Mum in Holland. I even have the Sat Nav Coordinates in my Will.

 

Please may I ask that everyone who finds a neglected CWGC grave to report it to the commission ASAP. The CWGC pay local authorities, cemetery companies & church authorities to maintain these graves so someone is shirking their responsibilites

Chris

 

To me it does not matter if the right person is in the grave as long as all who died have a marker somewhere.

 

I quickly received a reaction from the CWGC:

Dear Mr Schlebaum

Thank you for your e-mail.

We thank you for bringing your concerns to our attention and will do all that is necessary to bring the standard of this cemetery to the level that is to be expected in proper honour to all those who lie buried there.

 

Dear All here is an example of a grave whereby the cemetery is no longer used for burials.

The grave (recent photo) is of Serjeant C.F.Turner Coldstream Guards.

I contacted CWGC Feb 2010 to explain and show that the name on the grave is no longer legible and the grave is in a very poor state.I attached photos.

I have since been informed that an area supervisor had visited the site and agreed with my findings.
Further contact from the CWGC asked me if I knew of the family or family members,I explained that I did not have any further information.
I have requested that C.F.Turner grave be marked by a CWGC headstone and the CWGC are looking into this.
I will keep you updated

 

An example to all from far off Sicily and a tribute to the local workers and the CWGC.
Here lie 490 Canadians. In the background Mt Etna, in the foreground lake Pozzillo. A beautiful location.

 

My local churchyard has 18 War Graves - 8 Private and 11 CWGC. The local boys' school has taken on the task of cleaning the headstones on 11 November. We're also hoping to get a War Graves Working Group together to do some extra maintenance. All this has been cleared with the Commission.

I'm taking folk on a monthly Walk & Talk round these graves. Raised quite a bit of interest.

Steve W.

 

Good job Steve!

 

Email and photo sent to CWGC

Ordinary Seaman DENNIS F. HATTON

P/JX380530, H.M.S. Southdown, Royal Navy
who died age 19
on 24 June 1943
Son of Frank Henry and Kate Hatton, of Harrow.
Remembered with honour
HARROW CEMETERY

 

Dear me.. Unbelieveble! I am courious after the reaction of the CWGC.

 

Some years ago the Battle of Britain Historical Society asked its members to 'adopt' ( by simply carrying out routine maintenance/weed clearing etc ) any neglected RAF graves in non-CWGC cemeteries. It was a successful and popular initiative.

 

Our village church organises clear up days, appealing for help via the parish news, the same 3-4 people turn up, never a new face, you think the rest of the village had moved away, sad, its a good job there are a few caring people around, but who will replace them, moan over. regards lofty

 

My local churchyard has 18 War Graves - 8 Private and 11 CWGC. The local boys' school has taken on the task of cleaning the headstones on 11 November. We're also hoping to get a War Graves Working Group together to do some extra maintenance. All this has been cleared with the Commission.

I'm taking folk on a monthly Walk & Talk round these graves. Raised quite a bit of interest.

Steve W.

What cemetery is that Steve? Are there any Aussies there?

Cheers

Geoff

 

Hi
just looking at this thead about untidy cem/plots , i came across this about a month ago at Newburn
{st micheals}cemetery, from the main street it looks well looked after , bit over grown, but around the back of the church.
The brambles are like the barbed wire on the somme. and against the back wall there is this !!!!

[attachment=103641:Newburn st michealcemetery (2).JPG}
I have sent a e-mail to the local council but have heard nothing back yet.
will call to the cem to-day to see if any change.

 

As has been said the state of civilian cemeteries is the responsibility of the local authority who usually contract out maintenance of the graves.Even so,the standard of workmanship can leave much to be desired...machinery clipping gravestones appears to be a frequent lapse.But I have also seen evidence of this in CWGC plots.

The CWGC are responsible for the military graves which are in the qualifying period of a war grave from both world wars.Large concentration of CWGC cemeteries are maintained by direct staff of the CWGC in locations on the continent.War graves in the UK are again the responsibility of the CWGC and may be covered by a maintenance contract with reciprocal arrangements in place with foreign countries to maintain smaller plots and the individual war graves located in remote locations.

To a great extent the concentrating of war graves has eased the maintenance task and postwar was the prime reason for the removal of casualties from isolated graveyards after both world wars.The concentrating of war graves abroad was also determined by the agenda set by the host country in discussion with the British government.

As regards,the RAF,the smaller CWGC qualifying war grave plots seem to be maintained by the nearest RAF unit by an arrangement with the two parties.In addition, regarding RAF military graves outside the qualifying period,the responsibility is with the MOD for maintenance but the practice seems to be that, again, the nearest RAF unit carries out grave maintenance on behalf of the MOD.RAF units have been subject to the general rundown as a result of the defence reviews of late,so these arrangements may have had to be amended.

Some years ago,I was looking at the military graves in a civil cemetery in the local district while a grave maintenance team was working on contract on behalf of the local authority.I spoke to them about my interest.They were working on contracted graves,both civil and military.They were most helpful and gave me a copy of their scope of work.It transpired that some civil graves were listed as "Perpetuity" or "10 year" this would refer to the individual grave and not the general cemetery maintenance.

However,the war graves,all within the qualifying periods of both world wars were shown as "Annual".ie, contract which suggests that the local authority and CWGC contracts are reviewed/renewed each year.Many of the Great War graves had civil memorials which were erected before the establishment of the Imperial War Graves Commission, forerunner of the CWGC and these, erected by the NOK, remain in place.

In the workup of RAF squadrons in the last years of peace prior to the outbreak of the Second World War,there were a number of casualties who did not qualify for a CWGC maintained grave...these casualties,in some plots, lie by the side of others who died during the qualifying period.It would appear that these are also maintained by the nearest RAF unit...difficult to differentiate between graves on a small military plot.

So as regards military grave status....as I see it.

Those casualties dying during the qualifying period of both world wars.....CWGC responsible for the erection of a tombstone and subsequent maintenance of a dedicated cemetery if interred in one and the grave.Bearing in mind that the NOK may have erected their own special tombstone/memorial.

Those casualties dying outside the qualifying period of both world wars....MOD responsible for the erection of a tombstone and responsible for the grave maintenanace. In majority of cases,the dead will lie in civil cemeteries.

It follows that for any grave defect,a direct report to the appropriate authority would be best....once saw the tombstone of a nurse who had died in service in France...some joker had amended her name on her tombstone and had gone to some length to achieve it ....irrational thinking that it constituted a joke.I reported this to the CWGC who replied that it would be rectified as soon as possible.The odd thing is that the cemetery was a dedicated CWGC cemetery in a excellent maintenance state but I suspect the defect had gone unreported.

 

Hello Brian

It varies greatly in the UK
I have logged many headstones in Cemeteries and Graveyards that require attention but on the whole most are well maintained.In a number of churchyards/ cemeteries there is a nature element whereby the local authority allow the plants to get a grip to encourage wild life.
Attached are a few I have outstanding 2 CWGC headstones and 1 Private.
If you come across a private headstone/CWGC that is not accessible or the name is not legible and the casualty appears on the CWGC database drop them a line with a photo and the associated problem.They will look into it and eventually resolve.


regards
Clive

 

Hi
just got back from NEWBURN CEMETERY ,The only change is a path cut through to the back gate, rubbish still there so another e-mail on way to council. looks like a cut-back on cutting back.