Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Established in May 1917, the Imperial War Graves Commission was created by Royal Charter with the Prince of Wales as President and Fabian Ware as Vice-Chairman.
The Commission's work tending and creating graves and memorials for those killed in the First World War began in earnest in 1918. In 1949 the Imperial War Graves Commission completed the first of 559 Second World War cemeteries, and 36 new memorials. This was built in Dieppe, Normandy, France. In March 1960 the Imperial War Graves Commission became the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC).
The Fallen Heroes of Normandy are indebted to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission for their help and support in providing information, details and answering our enquiries, during the 15 years before this online archive and database was established.
We were particularly pleased when Peter Francis, Head of External Communications at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission expressed his support of our work in April 2009, and granted us permission to take photographs of, and at, the Commonwealth War Graves Comission cemeteries and memorials.
It is their initial basic data, about all those who rest in CWGC cemeteries, churchyards, Communal Cemeteries or who are commemorated on the CWGC memorials, that forms the basis of the Fallen Heroes of Normandy archive for the British and Commonwealth fatal casualties.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission provide the following free online resources:
The Air Forces Memorial Runnymede Leaflet
Plymouth Naval Memorial Leaflet
The Tower Hill Memorial Leaflet
Brookwood Military Cemetery Leaflet
The History of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Leaflet
The Commission's Work in Northern Europe Leaflet
Sir Fabien Ware: Founder of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Leaflet
Border Planting and Design Leaflet
The Commission's Horticulture Leaflet
