Battle of Britain Parade

I was privileged to attend the Battle of Britain parade at Brookwood Military Cemetery which regular readers of this blog will know is one of my favourite places to visit. The parade this year was more poignant because this is the 70th anniversary of the "Battle of Britain".

The cadets prepare to lay crosses at the graves of the fallen RAF airmen.

As always the parade was well attended with plenty of Air Training Corps cadets (one of which was my youngest son), Royal Air Force personnel, members of the public and proud parents. It was gratifying that a few veterans of the conflict (all in their late 80's and early 90's) were also able to attend. The Air Training Corps is made up of cadets aged between 14 and 18 and it was a wonderful to see so many of these young people devoting their spare time to honour the dead and living who participated in the Battle of Britain.


The cadets line up in front of the RAF memorial.



Here is a video of the march past. Sorry for the picture quality.

 

The Muslim cemetery

Last Sunday i was a bit bored and restless and in need of some fresh air so i decided to re-discover an old haunt of mine - The Muslim Burial Ground on Horsell Common. This disused cemetery occupies the most unlikely of locations being surrounded by trees and set well back from the main road into Woking. I used to take my chidren when they were young to this part of the common and was surprised to find this relic of Woking's past. Not many people visiting Woking are aware of it's existence or historical significance.

The domed entrance to the burial ground.

The Muslim Burial  Ground was built in 1917 when many troops from the Empire were fighting in France during the First World War. The site was chosen because of it's close proximity to Britain's only mosque at that time, the Shah Jehan Mosque in Woking (more of which in my next post), and it's structure emulates many of the mosque's features, including the minarets, arches and the majestic dome.

Hidden from public view by the trees of Horsell Common.

Indian army soldiers wounded fighting in France during 1914-16 were treated in England in special hospitals along the south coast including the famous Brighton Pavillion. Those who died received burial rites according to their religion. There were special cremations for Hindu and Sikh soldiers. After concerns were raised that Muslim soldiers were not being buried according to their preferred religious customs - most importantly facing in the direction of Mecca, the sacred city of Islam, the War Office stepped in and purchased the site as a special burial ground. On completion, the burial ground received 19 burials of Indian Army soldiers and a further five during World War Two. The soldiers served in different regiments but most were recruited from small villages in what is now Pakistan.

Part of the original wall showing the arches and corner minaret.

In 1921 the War Graves Commission took over its upkeep. Local people remember it had a yellow gravel path, iron gates at the entrance and two inside seats for visitors. Unfortunately by the 1960's the cemetery was suffering vandalism due to its isolated location so reluctantly the decision was taken in1968 to remove the bodies to the Military Cemetery at Brookwood.

Now a grade two listed building the burial ground is an overlooked memorial to the Indian Army soldiers who gave their lives during the two world conflicts. In need of much work and attention it is now under the care of Horsell Common Preservation Society which is working with Woking Borough Council and the local Muslim community to find ways of funding its restoration and preservation. Lets hope they succeed.

Memorial to the few.

My youngest son Josh is a cadet in the Air Training Corps (ATC) and his squadron was asked to participate in a memorial parade to remember the Battle of Britain as part of the nationwide commemorations. The parade was held at the RAF shelter in the Commonwealth war graves section of Brookwood Military Cemetery, one of my favourite places as told in a couple of my previous blogs (here and here).

The flags in front of the RAF shelter.

For those who are not familiar with the Battle of Britain, this was the air battle over southern England in the summer of 1940 that helped to deter the threat of a German invasion of Britain following the fall of France and the Dunkirk evacuation earlier that year. Their great deed was summed up admiradly by Sir Winston Churchill in his famous rousing speech when he said that "so much was owed by so many to so few".

The service was attended by veterans of the Aircrew and Royal Air Force associations, ranking RAF officers, members of the Air Training Corps and the Lady Mayor of Woking together with members of the public. The Salvation Army band provided the music for the service, hymns and formal march past.

The top brass prepare for the march past.

The march past by the Air Training Corps.

I was quite moved by the occasion. It was good to see the old veterans proudly bearing their campaign medals mixing with the young ATC cadets. It hopefully means that their sacrifice will not be forgotten and the young appreciate what they did for their country.

As part of the commemoration the cadets had to lay small crosses at the graves of the RAF personnel killed during the second World War. Josh was given the task of laying crosses at the graves of two brothers buried side by side. I think he found the experience quite moving and hopefully was proud to be taking part. I certainly found the whole episode quite poignant.

Laying the crosses at the graves. Note the headstones together denoting the two brothers killed in action.

The brother's headstones with memorial crosses.

The cadets show their respects. Josh is middle front.

Lest we forget....Part Two

Brookwood Military cemetery is one of my favourite places and i made another visit there last weekend.I particularly wanted to spend more time wandering around the American and British Commonwealth sections which i had neglected to do on a previous visit.

The American cemetery is set amongst beautiful woodland.

The American Cemetery is the only American Military Cemetery of World War 1 in the British Isles. 468 war dead of the USA rest here. Most of those buried died in Great Britain or it's surrounding waters. They include victims of the SS Tuscania which was sunk by a German submarine on February 5th 1918 off the west coast of Scotland. Additionally, the names of 563 Americans who gave their lives in the service of their country and whose graves are at sea are inscribed on the walls of the chapel. Most served with the United States Navy or United States Coastguard including 114 from the US coastguard cutter TAMPA which was also sunk by a German submarine in the Bristol Channel on September 26th 1918.

The construction and care of this 4.5 acre site is the responsibility of the American Battle Monuments Commission, an agency of the United States government. The adjacent World War 1 and World War 2 cemeteries and monuments were developed and are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.The gravestones of Privates Penberthy and Reed.

I always find walking among the gravestones quite poignant. Looking at the inscriptions i wander who was Private Arthur E Penberthy of Illinois or Private Walter D Reed of West Virginia? What are their stories. What did their families go through when the learnt of their son's or brother's death in a war thousands of miles away in a foreign land?

A distant view to the American Military Memorial Chapel.

I walked further until i was in the Commonwealth part of Brookwood Military Cemetery. Here there are graves of hundreds of British, Canadian, South African and Indian soldiers from both world wars. This section i find most moving, not only because of the beautifully kept and verdant grounds, but because reading the incriptions of the dead servicemen reminds me how young these brave men were. Most were only in their early or mid teens.

Along each row are small flowering plants and shrubs.

Row upon row of war graves.

In the British cemetary it really re-inforces how young these men were and what responsibilities they had on their young shoulders. Just two examples i noted from the inscriptions. The first read "Sergeant G. F. Barker-Benfield, Pilot, Royal Air Force. Died September 1941. Aged 19".
The second read "Sergeant R. C. Livings, Wireless operator/Air gunner, Royal Air Force. Died May 1941. Aged 18. These were just two of hundreds buried here. Again, what are their stories? It made me shudder to think that two of my children are these ages. All they appear worry about is their Facebook page, computer games, clothes, and having a good time. Just two generations ago boys of their age were fighting for their lives on a daily basis. How or indeed would teenagers cope if called upon to fight for their country?

The Free French Forces cemetery.