Why are there Chelsea Pensioners buried at Brookwood Military Cemetery?
You can discover a new story with every visit to a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. Often, when you explore our larger cemeteries around the world, you’ll notice distinct sections dedicated to different wars, to different nationalities, or to different arms of the forces. At Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England, one plot hidden amongst the trees is dedicated to the veterans of the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London; the Chelsea Pensioners.
The Chelsea Pensioners are the iconic faces of the United Kingdom’s veteran community. Any former soldier of the British Army over the age of 65, who is facing spending their advanced years alone, can apply for residence at the Royal Hospital Chelsea in London. Some of these men and women now lay at rest at Brookwood, buried as they lived – among friends and comrades. Learn more about how we care for the graves of the Chelsea Pensioners by exploring the resources below.
Discover the story of why hundreds of Chelsea Pensioners now lie at rest in the care of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in Surrey in our latest blog.
From gardeners to archivists to commemoration officers, CWGC’s staff carry out a wide variety of roles to ensure the fallen are commemorated. Check out our live Q&A at Brookwood with Alistair, one of our stonemasons, over on our Instagram channel.
With over 5000 service personnel commemorated here, Brookwood is the largest CWGC cemetery in Britain. Alongside the graves of Chelsea Pensioners, you can find the graves of men and women from across the Commonwealth, as well as French, Czechoslovak, Italian, Belgian, Polish and American war graves.
Royal Canadian Legion, US Branch #25 