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Images above - Basra Memorial Courtesy of WW1 Cemeteries
Basra Memorial and War Cemetery
Iraq
The Basra Memorial
The Basra Memorial commemorates more than 40,500 members of the Commonwealth forces who died in the operations in Mesopotamia from the Autumn of 1914 to the end of August 1921 and whose graves are not known. The memorial was designed by Edward Warren and unveiled by Sir Gilbert Clayton on the 27th March 1929.
Until 1997 the Basra Memorial was located on the main quay of the naval dockyard at Maqil, on the west bank of the Shatt-al-Arab, about 8 kilometres north of Basra.
Because of the sensitivity of the site, the Memorial was moved by presidential decree. The move, carried out by the authorities in Iraq, involved a considerable amount of manpower, transport costs and sheer engineering on their part, and the Memorial has been re-erected in its entirety.
The Basra Memorial is now located 32 kilometres along the road to Nasiriyah, in the middle of what was a major battleground during the first Gulf War.
Basra War Cemetery
From November 1914 Basra was occupied by the 6th (Poona) Division from when the town became the base of the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force (MEF). A number of cemeteries were used by the MEF in and around Basra;
- Makina Masul Old Cemetery was used from December 1914 to October 1916 and
- the Makina Masul New Extension was begun alongside the old cemetery in August 1917. These two sites, enlarged later when more than 1,000 graves were brought in from other burial grounds, now form Basra War Cemetery.
The cemetery contains 2,551 burials of the First World War, 74 of them unidentified. The headstones marking these graves were removed in 1935 when it was discovered that salts in the soil were causing them to deteriorate. The names of those buried in the graves affected are now recorded on a screen wall.
The cemetery also contains the Basra (Tanooma Chinese) Memorial, commemorating 227 unidentified casualties of the Chinese Labour Corps who were attached to the Inland Water Transport during the First World War. A panel in their memory was added to the screen wall when it became evident that their graves in Tanooma Chinese Cemetery could no longer be maintained.
During the Second World War, Basra was the scene of fighting from 2 - 7 May 1941 when Iraqi forces were driven from the town, which then became a base for Commonwealth forces. Basra War Cemetery was used once again and after the war, further graves were brought in from other burials grounds in Iraq and Iran.
There are 365 Second World War burials in the cemetery. In addition, there are 36 war graves of other nationalities, many of them Polish, and 16 non-war burials.
Directly opposite Basra War Cemetery is the Basra Indian Forces Cemetery containing burials of both wars, and the Basra Cremation Memorial commemorating Indian casualties of the Second World War whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith.
Notable People
Victoria Cross Recipients
- Charles Henry Cowley Rank: Lieut-Commander, Date of Death: 24/04/1916, Age: 44, Regiment/Service: Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve S.S. "Julnar." , Awards: V C, Panel Reference Panel 1., Son of Mrs. Cowley, of Kiddary St., Ashan, Basra. (Memorial)
- David Finlay Rank: Serjeant, Service No: 1780, Date of Death: 21/01/1916, Age: 23, Regiment/Service: Black Watch (Royal Highlanders) 2nd Bn. , Awards: V C, Panel Reference Panel 25 and 63., Husband of Mrs. F. Finlay (now Mrs. Wilson), of The Anchorage, St. Abb's, Coldingham, Berwickshire. (Memorial)
- Humphrey Osbaldston Brooke Firman Rank: Lieutenant, Date of Death, 24/04/1916 aged 29, Royal Navy, S.S. Julnar. Panel 1 & 60, Son of Mr. H. B. Firman, J.P., of Gateforth Lodge, Coombe Hill, New Malden, Surrey. (Memorial)
- James Henry Fynn Rank: Private, Service No: 11220, Date of Death: 30/03/1917, Age: 23, Regiment/Service: South Wales Borderers 4th Bn. , Awards: V C, Panel Reference Panel 16 and 62., Son of Mr. J. Fynn, of 19, Downing St., Bodmin, Cornwall. (Memorial)
- George Stuart Henderson Rank: Captain, Date of Death: 24/07/1920, Age: 26, Regiment/Service: Manchester Regiment2nd Bn. , Awards: V C, D S O and Bar, M C, 5 times Mentioned in Despatches, Panel Reference Panel 31 and 64., Son of Robert and Mary Henderson, of Mount Hooly, Jedburgh, Roxburghshire. (Memorial)
- George Godfrey Massy Wheeler Rank: Major, Date of Death: 13/04/1915, Age: 42, Regiment/Service: 7th Hariana Lancers, Awards: V C, Grave Reference III. C. 22., Husband of N. Massy Wheeler, of 5, Gwydyr Mansions, Hove, Sussex. (Cemetery)
Shot at Dawn:
- 10912 Private R. Burton, 6th Bn. South Lancashire Regiment, executed for sleeping at his post 19/02/1917.
- 10555 Private T. Downing, 6th Bn. South Lancashire Regiment, executed for sleeping at his post 19/02/1917.
- 10764 Private R. M. Jones, 6th Bn. South Lancashire Regiment, executed for desertion 21/12/1917.
- S/13248 Private G. Cutmore, 2ns Bn. Black Watch, executed for desertion 25/07/1917.
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References, Sources and Further Reading
- WW1 Cemeteries - Basra War Cemetery
- WW1 Cemeteries - Basra Memorial
- CWGC - Basra Memorial
- CWGC - Basra War Cemetery
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