New signs point way to war graves (From Western Telegraph)

New signs point way to war graves

3:50pm Sunday 3rd March 2013 in County News

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has begun erecting new signs at cemeteries across Pembrokeshire to make the public aware of local war graves.

Welcoming the erection of the new signs, Steve John, of the Pembroke County War Memorial Project, said: “Hundreds of war graves are to be found in cemeteries dotted across Pembrokeshire.

Indeed, most villages and towns across the county have at least one war grave.

“Several, like Haverfordwest City Road Cemetery, even have areas devoted to war graves.”

At City Road Cemetery, as well as erecting a sign, the CWGC has begun re-turfing the area around a cluster of war graves which will eventually have new flower beds and plantings reminiscent of the large war cemeteries on the Somme in France.

Mr John said: “While most war casualties are buried in graves marked by the distinctive CWGC headstone, it shouldn’t be forgotten that some families chose to have a casualty buried in family plots with their own choice of memorial.

“These are harder to find as families of war casualties themselves die or move away and graves become overgrown and the inscriptions deteriorate.

“The good news is that the CWGC is proposing to pinpoint each individual war grave with GPS data.”

With the centenary of the start of the First World War coming in 2014, interest is mushrooming as families and schools endeavour to find out what happened to their ancestors.

Steve said: “The number of enquiries the Pembroke County War Memorial Project is getting has increased greatly.

“Our website www.pembrokeshire-war-memorial.co.uk contains details of almost all of the county’s nearly 3,000 war dead and we have been particularly pleased to assist local schools and their pupils.”