Neuve-Chapelle Memorial, Northern France. WW1 and WW2 Cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission,CWGC.
First and Second World War , WW1 and WW2 Commonwealth War Graves Cemeteries in Northern Memorial takes the form of a circular enclosure, in the foreground of which is a column nearly 15 metres high, recalling the pillars of Asokar, surmounted by a Lotus capital, the Star of India and the Imperial Crown. On either side of the column two carved tigers guard this temple of the dead. The column and the tigers are supported by a "podium", on the near side of which is carved "INDIA 1914-1918", while on the far side are the Battle Honours of Indian units on the Western Front. From the ends of the podium a pierced stone railing extends half-way round the circle, and the ends of the semicircle are marked by two small domed "chattris", roughly East and West. The far semicircle is enclosed by a solid wall on which are carved the names of over 4,700 soldiers of the Indian Army.* Also engraved on the Memorial is the following inscription: TO THE HONOUR OF THE ARMY OF INDIA WHICH FOUGHT IN FRANCE AND BELGIUM, 1914-1918, AND IN PERPETUAL REMEMBRANCE OF THOSE OF THEIR DEAD WHOSE NAMES ARE HERE RECORDED AND WHO HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE. The memorial was designed by Sir Herbert Baker with sculpture by Charles Wheeler. it was unveiled by the Earl of Birkenhead on 7 October 1927. In 1964 a Special Bronze Panel was added to this memorial with the names of 210 servicemen of undivided India who died during the 1914-1918 war, whose graves at Zehrensdorf Indian Cemetery, Germany, had become unmaintainable. Although this plaque still exists, the graves were reinstated in 2005. This site also contains the Neuve-Chapelle 1939-1945 Cremation Memorial. In 1964 the remains of 8 Indian soldiers (including 2 unidentified) were exhumed from Sarrebourg French Military Cemetery Extension and cremated. The names of the 6 identified soldiers are engraved on panels at the Neuve Chapelle Memorial, together with the following inscription: 1939 - 1945 IN HONOUR OF THESE SOLDIERS WHO DIED IN CAPTIVITY
Size: 5458px × 3560px
Photo credit: © Brian Harris for the CWGC/Alamy / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: battlefields, commission, commonwealth, cwgc, france, graves, memorial, neuve-chapelle, northern, remember, sacrifice, war, ww1, ww2
