A newsletter from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission that may be of interest to members.

Welcome to the CWGC’s latest newsletter

Remembering the King’s Pilgrimage • The Story of the D-Day Dodgers • Grave of Second Lieutenant Edgcumbe Rededicated in France • A Look Back at The Queen’s Royal Visits to CWGC Sites • War Graves Week Round-up

REMEMBERING THE KING’S PILGRIMAGE

100 years ago, King George V undertook a personal pilgrimage to the newly established Commission cemeteries in France and Belgium. Here’s the incredible story of the King’s Pilgrimage… Read more.

FORGOTTEN FIGHTERS: THE STORY OF THE D-DAY DODGERS

They were all too often overlooked but they played a major role in achieving victory in World War Two. This is the story of the D-Day Dodgers and the Italian Campaign… Read more.

British troops D-Day Dodgers wade ashore as the invasion of Sicily begins.

THE GRAVE OF SECOND LIEUTENANT PIERS RICHARD EDGCUMBE REDEDICATED IN FRANCE

The grave of Second Lieutenant (2nd Lt) Piers Richard Edgcumbe who was killed in France whilst serving with 12th Royal Lancers, has been rededicated in France eighty-two years after he was killed… Read more.

Lieutenant Anna McDermott and Colonel Richard Charrington lay wreaths of behalf of the Regiment (Crown copyright).

A LOOK BACK AT THE QUEEN’S ROYAL VISITS TO CWGC SITES

Over the years, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II has visited many of our sites around the world. Join us for a trip through time, looking at some of the Queen’s most storied CWGC visits… Read more.

WAR GRAVES WEEK ROUND-UP

Our second annual War Graves Week has come and gone and we’re pleased to report that it was even more popular than last year! Taking place through the week of 21-28 May, War Graves Week included 200 events held across the UK and beyond, to include France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Malta, aiming to raise awareness of the important work of the CWGC.

Our Public Engagement Coordinators led weekend events in their regions across the UK; high street ‘pop-up’ events were held in town centres up and down the country by members of our wonderful volunteer team. Volunteers also supported our work by leading tours and connecting with people right across the UK.

We also had some very positive support from celebrities, including Sue Holderness, Colin Maclachlan, Colin McFarlane, and Andy McNab sharing videos to highlight the campaign.

We were also very pleased to support the CWGF to produce An Evening at Brookwood, a superb family event featuring stalls, tours and live musical performances, which garnered very positive feedback, as well as requests to run similar such events in the future.

Our theme this year was Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times, and included a new website app experience, designed to explore some of the stories of people we commemorate through the roles they undertook during the World Wars, encouraging people to consider who they themselves might have been.

Please do take a look if you haven’t already, the link to the online experience is below:

Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times

Finally, as part of the War Graves Week campaign we also spoke to industry leaders to find out how the World Wars affected their areas of expertise – you can listen to their stories here:

War Graves Week: Hear From Industry Leaders

We’re very thankful to everyone who took part, came to our events, tours and stopped at our pop-ups; we hope to see you again for next year’s War Graves Week!