Introducing the 2024 Commonwealth War Graves Foundation Tyne Cot Guides

Visiting Tyne Cot Cemetery, our largest war cemetery in the world, this summer? Get to know the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation Guides stationed there below.

Commonwealth War Graves Foundation Guides

Commonwealth War Graves Guides are young people with a passion for history.

Working at some of our most iconic French and Belgian sites, the Guides welcome guests, share the incredible stories of those commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves, and help our visitors on their journeys of remembrance.

We’re excited to welcome a fresh wave of Guides to Tyne Cot Cemetery this summer. Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in the world, where nearly 12,000 Commonwealth servicemen lie at rest.

The Guides will be there to share with you the history of the cemetery, our work in maintaining Tyne Cot, and the stories of the First World War servicemen buried there.

Introducing the Commonwealth War Graves Tyne Cot Guides

First up is Alex Carter. Alex will be part of the Guides team at Tyne Cot Cemetery.

Image: CWGF Guide Alex Carter

Hi Alex. What made you want to become a CWGF Guide? What are you looking forward to most working for Commonwealth War Graves?

I've wanted to become a guide since my first battlefield tour in 2017, an ambition which was cemented when I had the privilege to play at the Menin Gate in my youth brass band in 2019. 

I've always been fascinated by public history, and the experience of living history that is offered on the Western Front is unrivalled. Being an active part of this is very special.

The thing I'm looking forward to most about being a Guide is being able to help descendants of the fallen from all over the world connect to their loved ones by animating the personal stories behind their headstones. 

Every grave represents a series of events tragically cut short. It is part of our job as Guides to get across that the unjustifiable scale of loss had, and still has, deep and widespread personal effects that go beyond statistics

Thanks, Alex. At Tyne Cot, you will have plenty of opportunities to do just that! Do you have any connections of your own with any of the casualties in our care?

My great-great uncle, Edward Sanderson White, was killed in October 1918 while serving in the Canadian Machine Gun Corps. 

He is buried in a small CWGC cemetery near Cambrai. I hope to go to his grave to pay my respects.

We hope you can too! Lastly, what were you up to before you became a CWGF Guide and what are you hoping to do after?

I went into the Guides Programme straight after finishing my history degree. Afterwards, I plan to do some travelling but I have long-term aspirations to work in heritage tourism so I can continue to help the public engage with history.

Next, we spoke to Megan Dalgleish. Megan studied Ancient History & Archaeology at Durham University, and after a year of volunteering, joins us as a CWGF Guide.

Image: CWGF Guide Megan Dalgleish

Hi Megan. What are you looking forward to about working for Commonwealth War Graves this summer? What made you want to join us? 

Hi! I wanted to work for the CWGC to join an international cohort of individuals actively and collectively commemorating the dead. I am most looking forward to illustrating the lives of those we commemorate for our visitors.

Speaking of those we commemorate, do you have a personal link to those in our care? 

Yes, my Great Uncle was a Sub Lieutenant pilot during the Second World War and is buried in Brest (Karfautras) Cemetery in northern France. I found his grave through the CWGC website. 

He was shot down and killed on 12th December 1940 during an aerial mine laying sortie. He was 21.

I hope to visit his grave during my time working as a guide in France.

We hope you can find the time to visit him too. Lastly, what were you up to before you joined us and do you have any idea what you’d like to pursue later?

I graduated in the summer of 2023 and spent the last year volunteering and gaining experience in museum work alongside my day job. After working as a Guide,

I hope to secure a full-time position in the heritage sector.

Rounding out Team Tyne Cot this year is Cole Green.

Cole is a graduate of the University of York and joins Alex and Megan at Tyne Cot Cemetery. Stop and say hello if you are visiting this summer!

Image: CWGF Guide Cole Green

Hi Cole! How are you feeling about being a CWGF Guide?

I’m chuffed to be spending this summer working at this very special, monumental place!

I applied to work as a Guide to gain experience in actively engaging and communicating the past to members of the public and helping them comprehend a difficult period of history. 

I’m looking forward to discussing the First World War in the very sites in which it took place rather than studying it in an academic environment. I’m particularly keen to learn as many anecdotes about the soldiers that we commemorate as possible. 

This way I can help our visitors see the individual stories behind the gravestones and the human beings within the old black-and-white photographs.

Well, we love your enthusiasm! How did your interest in the World Wars start? 

After completing my English Literature BA and Public History MA, I have developed an interest in heritage, cultural memory and genealogy. 

My love for history, and the First World War in particular, was spawned through learning about my ancestry as a child and my great-grandfather who fought at the Battle of Arras.

Want to support the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation Guides Programme? Donate Today

The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation Guides Programme gives young history lovers an opportunity to work for Commonwealth War Graves in France and Belgium.

They welcome visitors, share the incredible stories of those commemorated by Commonwealth War Graves, and help assist our guests on their journey of remembrance at important sites like Thiepval in Northern France and Tyne Cot, Belgium.

We’re passionate about preserving the memories of the Commonwealth’s war dead and interacting with young people to keep their stories alive. Our Guides help us in our core mission while becoming equipped with real-life skills to aid their personal development.

Our Guides Programme relies on your generosity. 

£100 could pay to fully train one of our Guides ready for their experience of working abroad so they are best able to welcome visitors, share the incredible stories of those we commemorate, and help assist visitors on their journey of remembrance.

Please donate to the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation today to keep projects like this going.