Once the war ended, the real process of fully registering, recording and memorialising the dead could begin. It was immediately recognised that the importance of these cemeteries, as a symbol of sacrifice and as a place of pilgrimage, would be considerable. In 1960 the commission was renamed the Commonwealth War Graves Commission and in 1964 its charter was extended to include the dead of the Second World War. Today the CWGC is responsible for the graves and memorials of 1.7 million Commonwealth service personnel. Of these, over one million rest in graves, with those unknown remembered on memorial walls. Their work spreads to 153 countries with a full-time workforce of 1,200 people. Their outstanding work ensures that those who lost its lives cannot be forgotten.

The cemeteries

After the war, amidst some heated parliamentary debate, two important principles were established for the cemeteries: first, bodies would not be repatriated due to the scale of the undertaking and the importance of the comrade in arms symbolism; secondly, the headstones would be uniform, so that no distinction would be made in rank or background.

Each headstone displays (if known) the rank, name, regimental number and crest, unit, age and date of death. An inscription could be chosen by the relatives¹ and the choice of a religious emblem. Portland stone was the predominant material used, but today Botticino stone from Italy is preferred due to its durability. The headstones are 2ft 8in high and 1ft 3in wide.