News From The Clubs

Frome Family History Group

Frome Family History group welcomed Mike Nicholas to tell us about the work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission at our new venue in the Cheese and Grain.

The founder of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) was Sir Fabien Ware, who attempted to join the British Army but was rejected as he was considered too old at 47.

However, he became the commander of a mobile ambulance unit provided by the British Red Cross Society.

In this role, he began marking and recording the graves of those killed. In 1915, the Army Department of Graves Commission was founded. In 1917, this became the Imperial War Graves Commission and later the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Ware ended the war as a major-general having been mentioned in despatches twice.

Mike produced some extraordinary statistics relating to CWGC. The organisation cares for 1.7 million graves at 23,000 locations in over 150 countries. Many nationalities are remembered including 1,100 Chinese. The largest cemeteries are Tyne Cot in Belgium and Thiepval in Northern France. The Thiepval Memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and contains the names of 72,000 men.

The headstones are mainly made of Portland stone and are exactly the same whether the occupier is a rating or an officer. The inscription follows the same format finishing with the name of the nearest relative with the exception of New Zealand graves who omit the next of kin.

Conservation is ongoing and there is a project to restore the Menin Gate. Mike urged everyone to visit the Menin Gate at 8pm where buglers play the Last Post as they have done since the Menin Gate, designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield, was opened in 1927.

Mike Nicholas was thanked for a very informative evening. Our next event will be returning speaker Tony Painter giving a talk entitled White Horses and Hill Figures: History and Mystery. Please join us on Tuesday 25th March from 7.30pm in the Cheese and Grain.

Pictured: Thiepval Memorial designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens