The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) will be bringing War Graves Week to Edinburgh and offering free tours at Rosebank, Piershill and Seafield Cemeteries from May 21st.
War Graves Week is an initiative aimed at encouraging people from the local community to come together and discover the World War heritage on their doorstep – learning about the stories of those commemorated by the CWGC in Edinburgh and the skills, dedication and expertise of those CWGC staff and volunteers who work to keep their memory alive.
The free guided tours will take place at Rosebank, Piershill and Seafield Cemeteries and will give people in Edinburgh the chance to discover the remarkable stories of the men and women of the Commonwealth forces that died in the First and Second World Wars who are buried in their community. War Graves Week provides a unique chance for the people of Edinburgh to reconnect with their local history.
More than 290 casualties from World War One and World War Two are buried at Seafield Cemetery, 300 at Rosebank Cemetery and 130 at Piershill Cemetery.
Rosebank Cemetery contains the memorial to Britain’s worst railway accident, which involved the men of the 7th (Leith Volunteer) Battalion Royal Scots who were killed on 22nd May 1915.
One of the CWGC gravestones commemorates a member of the Women’s Royal Naval Service from the Great War, whose husband was docked two days’ wages and received 28 days field punishment for over-staying his leave after his wife’s death.
Other gravestones commemorate service personnel who died in aircraft crashes or died of illness or training accidents.
Seafield Cemetery has two CWGC plots, one being a large naval plot while the other contains a number individuals who served with the Canadian Forestry Corps. It also contains other CWGC headstones with interesting stories.
Piershill Cemetery, in addition to a number of Great War and World 2 CWGC headstones, has two headstones maintained by the CWGC to Jewish members of the Czech Army who served in WW2.
The cemetery is also the resting place for two Victoria Cross holders, one from the Crimean War and one from the Great War.
On the tours Edinburgh residents will learn about the Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times project – the focus of this year’s War Graves Week.
Alongside the front-line armed forces, the CWGC will be celebrating the value those who served during the World Wars brought to key sectors such as healthcare, logistics, infrastructure and communications.
To learn more about specific stories of those who served, and the parallels with today’s global Britain which they helped to create, please click here:
The tours will be led by local resident Ken Nisbet, who is a volunteer for the CWGC. Ken said: “We’re delighted that the CWGC’s War Graves Week will be taking place in Edinburgh.
“For us at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, remembrance and the sharing and caring for World War heritage is a daily duty. Behind every name on a war grave or memorial in Edinburgh is a human story waiting to be discovered and War Graves Week is the perfect opportunity to do just that.
“I’d encourage everyone in Edinburgh to join one of the tours to reconnect with their local history to learn about the courageous ordinary people from our community who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”
The CWGC is encouraging the people of Edinburgh to seek out the stories in their local area and book onto a free tour this War Graves Week.
To book a tour, visit www.cwgc.org/tours
