An item from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.

Welcome to the CWGC’s latest newsletter.

Queen marks centenary of RAA F • All Eyes on Ieper for Cycling Race • Our Year in Lockdown • CWGC Director of Horticulture appointed as Trustee of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew • Download the new CWGC App

Her Majesty The Queen has marked the centenary of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) at the CWGC’s Runnymede Air Forces Memorial.

The Queen was welcomed to the ceremony by CWGC Director General Claire Horton CBE and The Honourable George Brandis, High Commissioner for Australia alongside representatives from the RAAF. A fly past and wreath laying in honour of the RAAF personnel who have given their lives in the past 100 years took place at the event yesterday (Wednesday 31 March).

Claire Horton said: “Today is an historic milestone for the Royal Australian Air Force and we are honoured that the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Runnymede Air Forces Memorial has been chosen to mark the occasion.

“Around the world, the sacrifice of men and women from the Commonwealth lives on through the memorials and graves that bear their names. A century on from their formation, the RAAF’s duties at home and abroad remain as strong as ever, as does our commitment at CWGC to remember their fallen forebears.”

All Eyes on Ieper for Cycling RaceLast Sunday, 28 March, one of Belgium’s premier cycling races started at the CWGC Ypres (Menin Gate) Memorial. The Gent to Wevelgem road cycle race, known officially as Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, runs through the former Battlefield of the First World War. Click here to learn five fascinating CWGC connections to the world of cycling!

Our Year in Lockdown

Here at CWGC we’re charged with a job that was started over 100 years ago. Despite the dramatic changes the world has seen over the past year, our work continued and just like everyone else we found ways to adapt as we all faced a pandemic that would drastically change the way we lived, worked, and socialised. Join us as we take a look back at a year which surely none of us will forget.

CWGC Director of Horticulture appointed as Trustee of Royal Botanic Gardens, KewOur very own Director of Horticulture, David Richardson, has been appointed as a Trustee of The Royal Botanic Gardens Kew. David has worked for the Commission for over 30 years, and the CWGC has a historic connection with Kew. We look forward to strengthening our relationship in the years to come.