Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Subject – IR

Context – In Kohima, a cemetery with a tennis court. It is one of several Second World War graves maintained by Commonwealth War Graves Commission

Concept –

• The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark record and maintain the graves and places of commemoration of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars.
• Members are Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and United Kingdom.
• The commission is also responsible for commemorating Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action during World War II.
• The commission was founded by Sir Fabian Ware and constituted through Royal Charter in 1917 as the Imperial War Graves Commission. The change to the present name took place in 1960.
• The commission, as part of its mandate, is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally.
• To this end, the war dead are commemorated by a name on a headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on a memorial. War dead are commemorated uniformly and equally, irrespective of military or civil rank, race or creed.