Teignmouth Old Cemetery

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War Graves Project Update

October 20, 2018 5:27 pm

We have come a long way since this project first started in the summer and we are now approaching the end of the first phase.

This will be marked in a short ceremony at the cemetery on Saturday November 3^rd at 11am.  This will commemorate the 100^th anniversary of the end of World War 1 and recognise those who died in service and are buried in the 49 war graves scattered throughout the cemetery.  As part of the ceremony a small cross and poppy will be placed on each grave.

Everyone is welcome to attend this historic event – the first time ever that the war graves of Teignmouth Cemetery have been commemorated in this way.

The provisional agenda for the ceremony is as follows:

Returning to what the Friends of Teignmouth Cemetery have achieved since earlier this year?

1. We have identified the location of each grave, both those solely with Commonwealth War Grave Commission (CWGC) headstones and those recognised by the CWGC but in family plots;
2. We have secured a contract with the CWGC to tend for the graves which involves keeping the area around each grave clear of overgrowth and also providing access to the graves from the main paths;
3. All the graves have now been cleared and are maintained on a regular basis by our group of committed volunteers;
4. We have photographed every grave and those can be seen on the record pages on this site;
5. A small group has been researching those people buried in the war graves and we are now starting to consolidate that information.  This is very much work in progress; the information we gather will be added to the record pages over the next month or so and supplemented as and when new information comes to light;
6. In our efforts we have been working with the Teignmouth branch of the Royal British Legion and the Town Council Remembrance Committee;
7. We have produced a commemorative display board which will be unveiled at the ceremony on November 3^rd.  This lists everyone who is buried in the war graves and shows a map of the various war grave locations;
8. Finally, as an interesting by-product of all this work we have come across a number of other graves of people who have died in service but who are not in official CWGC sites.  We are clearing those graves as well and affording them the same respect of attention that has been given to the official graves.

In phase 2 of the project we shall be continuing the historic research and developing the web-site pages as more information comes to light.  We are also planning to place some appropriate plants on or near each of the war graves.

This has been a significant project for us and has only been achieved through the energy and enthusiasm of our group of volunteers in all areas .  We look forward to seeing everyone who can make it to the unique ceremony on November 3^rd.

Posted by Everyman

Categories: Activities

Tags: commonwealth war graves commission, kohima epitaph, last post, remembrance, royal british legion, trinity school, War Graves

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3 Responses to “War Graves Project Update”

1. Excellent War Graves Project Update post Neil many thanks for ALL your hard work

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   By ditton on October 20, 2018 at 5:39 pm

2. Thank you Neil and your team. I shall be attending the ceremony in respect of my great grandfather Frank John Churchill, leading stoker of HMS Vivid. My Great grandmother Amy is also buried in the war grave.

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   By Fiona Churchill on October 21, 2018 at 5:43 pm

   1. Thanks Fiona. I shall look forward to seeing you at the ceremony

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      By pherecrates1 on October 21, 2018 at 6:20 pm

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