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Basra War Cemetery

Coordinates: 30°31′51″N 47°49′13″E / 30.5309400°N 47.8202000°E / 30.5309400; 47.8202000
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Remains of the Plinth
Remains of the Cross of Sacrifice Basra War Cemetery British Army Section
Fragments of a British Army Soldiers Grave Basra War Cemetery
Grave Fragments – Basra War Cemetery
Their Names Shall Live For Evermore Monument
Gravestone of Gunner Joseph Soppitt Royal Artillery 1941. Private rededication July 2024
Grave stone remains from WW2 era
Picture of Basra War Cemetery from 1997 looking over Plot 7 WW2
Basra War Cemetery circa. 1950's (from CWGC Archives) showing the view of the memorial wall and the Cross of Sacrifice.
Basra Plot 7 (WW2) and Plot 6 (WW1) taken in 1951 (CWGC Archives)
Basra War Cemetery Main Gate circa 1950 (CWGC Archives)
Basra War Cemetery Plot 7 (WW2) circa 1951 (CWGC Archives)

The Basra War Cemetery is a military cemetery in Basra, Iraq, built for soldiers killed during the Mesopotamian campaign in the First World War.

In 1935 the site was cleared of gravestones due to their deterioration and a Memorial Screen Wall was installed with the names of the men buried there – none of which survive.

Opposite lies the Indian Forces Cemetery. The combined two cemeteries contain the remains of almost 5,000 servicemen primarily from WW1, some civilian graves and a few from World War II.

It was maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) until 2007.[1][2] Those buried at the cemetery include Victoria Cross recipient George Godfrey Massy Wheeler, and Henry Howard, 19th Earl of Suffolk.[citation needed]

The Daily Telegraph reported on 10 November 2013 that the cemetery had been damaged, with a number of headstones knocked down and broken by looters and vandals.[1] The Commonwealth War Graves Commission subsequently cleared the site of all grave markers before abandoning the site, the cross of sacrifice and plinth. Local neighbors then started using the area as a football and games field.

The graves themselves remain undisturbed and the sub bases remain in place making individual graves relatively easy to identify. As of July 2024 the CWGC has no plans to return to the country and renovate or maintain any of the cemeteries and monuments there representing approximately 100,000 British Forces casualties.

In July 2024 a relative of a soldier buried there from 1941 visited the site and laid a new gravestone. The first new grave stone to be laid for over 80 years.

Gate to the British Section of Basra War Cemetery

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Iraq cemetery containing graves of British servicemen is destroyed". the Telegraph. 10 November 2013. Archived from the original on 10 November 2013.
  2. ^ Basra War Cemetery. Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Retrieved 27 April 2016.
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