The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is tasked with commemorating the 1.7 million men and women of the British Commonwealth forces who died in the two world wars in service or of causes attributable to service. There are 23,000 CWGC cemeteries, burial plots and memorials in some 153 countries across the world. The list includes the Jerusalem War Cemetery which was begun after the occupation by the British Empire and the formal entry of General Allenby to the Holy City.
The Jerusalem War Cemetery is situated at the north end of the Mount of Olives, adjacent to Hadassah Hospital on Mount Scopus.
The Jerusalem War Cemetery began with 270 burials. It was later enlarged to take graves from the battlefields and smaller cemeteries in the neighborhood, including the Bethlehem German Cemetery, the Jericho Military Cemetery, the Jerusalem Protestant Cemetery, the Jerusalem German Hospice Military Cemetery, the Limber Hill Military cemetery and the Ram Allah Military Cemetery. There is a small Jewish Section as well.
Within the cemetery stands the Jerusalem Memorial commemorating 3,300 Commonwealth servicemen who died during the First World War in operations in Egypt or Palestine and who have no known grave. The Memorial was designed by Sir John Burnet, with sculpture by Gilbert Bayes, and was unveiled by Lord Allenby and Sir James Parr on 7 May 1927.
There are now 2,515 Commonwealth burials of the First World War in the Jerusalem War Cemetery, 100 of which are still unidentified.
The Jerusalem War Cemetery is open permanently and may be visited at any time. The Mosaic Room (also known as the Records Room) is undergoing a complete renovation, scheduled for completion by the end of this month. There is an online alternative, however, that allows visitors to the CWGC website to search for War Dead and a Cemeteries search.
There is also a Virtual Cemetery, an educational resource about the CWGC’s work “as a springboard to a much larger debate about the Centenary of the First World War and the different ways in which we can all remember the servicemen and women who gave their lives in conflict.”
More on Nostalgia Israel
Fighting for Israel's truth
We cover what makes life in Israel so special — it's people. A non-profit organization, ISRAEL21c's team of journalists are committed to telling stories that humanize Israelis and show their positive impact on our world. You can bring these stories to life by making a donation of $6/month.
