'Go local' plea for Remembrance Day
The body that cares for Britain's war graves is urging people in the West Midlands to "go local" to connect with their fallen heroes at a time when the coronavirus crisis has scuppered or curtailed many Remembrance events.
And the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is highlighting its cemetery at Cannock Chase, where hundreds who made the ultimate sacrifice lie.
There are more than 160,000 Commonwealth war graves in the UK, including of wounded who died in British hospitals, and those who died in training accidents or of illness.
The Commission says it is finding new ways to keep people informed about the sacrifice made by past generations of fallen members of the armed forces.
"We have created some new digital resources which we hope will make it easier for people to learn about the war graves sites in their local area, and understand how it fits into their own local history," said Chris Anderson of the commission.
"Behind every single name is a human story worth connecting with. 'Our War Graves, Your History' includes local stories, downloadable walking tours and tips on how to understand the history in people's home towns.
"They can also meet the local team tasked with maintaining war graves in their area. They include Andy Knowlson, regional manager. Andy has worked for the commission for more than 30 years, across Europe and Africa, and he now leads the team responsible for war graves in the West Midlands.
"The sites we maintain vary from the hundreds of war dead buried at Cannock Chase War Cemetery to scores of churchyards and burial grounds that contain just a few war graves, often spotted by the green Commonwealth War Graves signs at their entrance.
"Cannock Chase hosted bustling military camps during the First World War and a prisoner of war hospital. The legacy of both can be found in the war graves, including British, New Zealand, Polish and Germans."
Barry Murphy, the commission's director general, said: “This year has been like no other, and sadly this will have an impact on the usual traditions around Remembrance Sunday. The British public has already shown this year that with the smallest of gestures we can still find a way to thank the bravest among us.
“The commission cares for war graves at more than 12,500 locations in the UK, and this means at a time when many of us are staying in our local areas, there is a still a way for us all to connect to our local world war heritage.
“We’re encouraging people to seek out the stories in their local area, using the new 'Our War Graves, Your History' digital resources. By visiting the site, people can read about the world war heritage in their nearest CWGC sites, download self-guided tours and find the tools to plan a visit and pay a personal pilgrimage to a war grave.”
Find a self-guided tour created by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Visit cwgc.org/exploreGB.
