A look in our photo library: Myanmar War Cemeteries & Memorials

Commonwealth War Graves maintains an extensive library of amazing photographs of our cemeteries and memorials. Here’s a look at some snapshots of the Commission’s Myanmar sites.

Commonwealth War Graves Sits in Burma

Why do we have war graves in Burma?

As you’re a Commonwealth War Graves Foundation member, you’re probably familiar with the history of the World Wars.

In any case, here’s a quick refresher.

Burma, present-day Myanmar, was a possession of the British Empire at the time of the Second World War.

In December 1941, Imperial Japan launched a series of mass assaults across the Pacific and east Asia. Japan had been fighting in China since the early 30s and was looking to expand its nascent empire to capture more resources to fuel its war machine.

Very quickly, Hong Kong and Singapore were captured. In March 1942, the Imperial Japanese Army captured Burma’s capital Rangoon. The British and Indian Army forces stationed in Burma were forced back over 1,000 miles into India.

Burma would remain in Japanese hands until 1945, despite several major offensives and the behind-enemy-lines operations of the Chindits. Victory would come after the British employed its largest field army of the war under the command of General Bill Slim.

Casualties from across Burma were buried in makeshift cemeteries until Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries could be built. For those fallen service personnel with no known graves are commemorated on the various memorials the Commission built in Burma.

Commonwealth War Graves sites in Myanmar

Rangoon Memorial

Almost 27,000 Commonwealth service personnel are commemorated on the panels of the Rangoon Memorial.

Those commemorated by the memorial are casualties from the Burma campaign but who have no known grave.

The Memorial was unveiled in 1958 by General Sir Francis Festing and Myanmar’s then-prime minister U Nu. It was designed by noted architect H.J. Brown.

We think it’s quite a spectacular memorial. The central rotunda bears the inscription “They died for all free men” in English, Hindi, Urdu, Gurmukhi, and Burmese, reflecting the multinational, multi-faith force that fought in Burma during the Second World War.

Taukkyan War Cemetery

The Rangoon Memorial sits within Taukkyan War Cemetery where more than 6,300 Commonwealth servicemen are buried.

Construction of Taukkyan began in 1951. The cemetery took burials from previous burial grounds at Akyab, Mandalay, Meiktila, and Sahmaw which for many reasons could not be maintained.

The men of the Army Graves Service had a tough time gathering casualties for Taukkyan. Post-war unrest and the remote location of burials, such as on isolated roadsides deep within the Burmese countryside, slowed their initial progress.

About a sixth of Taukkyan’s burials come from the Indian Army, but those buried here represent British, African, Burmese and more nationalities.

Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery

The story of the Bridge of the River Kwai and the Burma-Siam Railway is a particularly dark one.

Thousands of Commonwealth, Dutch, and American Prisoners of War, plus tens of thousands of local labourers, were forced to build the railway in appalling, brutal conditions.

Thanbyuzayat War Cemetery was opened in 1946 to accommodate the Commonwealth and Dutch prisoners who died working on the Railway of Death. American casualties were moved to a separate US-run cemetery.

You’ll notice at Thanbyuzayat and Taukkyan the headstones aren’t made of stone. To cope with local conditions, they are instead made using bronze plaques more suited to Myanmar’s weather.

Thanks for supporting the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation

We hope you enjoyed this look inside the Commonwealth War Graves library. We will be sharing some more pictures of different cemeteries and memorials soon.

If you have any suggestions for the type of content you’d like to see, or perhaps have a family story you’d like to share regarding Commonwealth War Graves, please contact us at supporters@cwgc.org and let us know!

Thank you again for supporting our work at the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation.