In a county churchyard
It is a myth that all war dead are buried in a
corner of a far-flung foreign field. War
graves are all around us.
Almost every churchyard and cemetery in Leicestershire
and Rutland is home to war graves for allies and foes alike
from across the world.
The
details of the war graves in your local churchyard are held
centrally by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. Their
records show that almost 1,500 men and women are buried
in Leicestershire and Rutland.
Each
one of these war graves represents a personal tragedy and
shows the full scale of world war. For example the churchyard
at St. Nicholas in Cottesmore, has 89 war graves which include
27 airmen from Canada, 16 from Australia and three from
New Zealand - young men who never went home.
In contrast, the small churchyard of St. Peter in Belton
in Rutland has just one war grave - a village man who was
killed in 1942.
War
Graves in Leicestershire and Rutland.
|
WW
I |
WW
II |
UK
Forces |
705 |
786 |
Australian
|
7 |
19 |
Belgian |
9 |
- |
Canadian |
14 |
41 |
Indian |
1 |
- |
Italian |
- |
7 |
New
Zealand |
1 |
8 |
South
Africa |
1 |
- |
German |
42 |
12 |
Total |
780 |
873 |
Many of the First World War graves are of men and women
who died after being treated in the General Hospital in
Leicester which during the conflict admitted 95,000 officers
and men in its 2,637 beds.
There were
greater losses in the First World War but the larger number
of Second World War graves in Leicestershire and Rutland
represents the changing nature of warfare and in particular
the air war.
Next time
you are out walking in either the countryside or the suburbs
take a detour through a local churchyard and take a moment
to reflect at the sacrifice made by these young men and
women.
Radio Leicester
have a complete list of all the people buried in war graves
in Leicestershire and Rutland. Can they help you? E-mail
the BBC Radio Leicester team with your stories and questions. |