Our commitment to the Commonwealth this Commonwealth Day

As our name suggests, the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation is committed to the Commonwealth. How? Let’s take a look.

The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation & The Commonwealth

We tell the stories of the Commonwealth’s war dead

Millions of men and women served in the World Wars.

Their courage and sacrifice during these extremely trying times is inspirational. While many were able to go home and help build a new post-war world, many more were not so lucky.

Did you know Commonwealth War Graves commemorates over 1.7 million Commonwealth casualties around the world? Nearly 400,000 are commemorated in UK war cemeteries and memorials alone.

Part of our core mission is to tell the stories of these service personnel. We believe their memories should never be forgotten.

It’s particularly important for us to engage with younger generations. The bulk of men and women who fought and served in the World Wars were only young during their service.

We can learn so much from their experiences and sacrifices. That’s why we’re dedicated to sharing their stories.

We’re a UK-based organisation but WE focus on The Entire Commonwealth

Those 400,000 or so casualties commemorated in the UK? They aren’t all from the UK. Far from it.

Indian, Australian, New Zealand, South African, and Canadian casualties are in the care of Commonwealth War Graves.

Wherever they came from, however they ended up being buried or commemorated in the UK, their stories are a vital part of our shared history.

The Commonwealth War Graves Foundation is a UK charity, but that doesn’t mean we treat the non-UK casualties any differently. One of the founding tenants of Commonwealth War Graves is that all are equal in remembrance, regardless of race, colour or creed.

Take the story of Noor Inayat-Khan as an example.

Image: Noor Inayat-Khan's incredible courage is something we find incredibly inspirational

Noor was born in Moscow to Indian parents. Despite being raised on the principles of non-violence, Noor was determined to do her bit when World War Two broke out.

She eventually volunteered to be a Radio Operator in the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force before catching the attention of the Special Operations Executive (SOE).

SOE dropped Noor into occupied France to relay important messages between the SOE and French resistance fighters. Captured by the Gestapo in 1943, Noor endured terrible conditions before finally being executed at the notorious Dachau concentration camp.

Despite her terrible ordeal, Noor’s courage never wavered. She was an incredibly brave, inspirational woman and one of the Commonwealth casualties we are immensely proud to tell the story of.

The Noor Inayat-Khan: A Women of Conspicuous Courage exhibit at the Runnymede Memorial is one of our most important and well-received projects. Visit to learn more about her amazing, moving story.

Our projects help the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation reach new audiences

Noor’s exhibition is not our only project.

With the generous help of our backers, we’ve been able to put together events and projects that allow us to tell more Commonwealth casualty stories.

For instance, our volunteer speakers engage with schools, universities, colleges, and more groups and organisations to spread the word on the work of the Commission and Foundation. They also share more tales and histories behind our Commonwealth casualties.

The theme of this year’s Commonwealth Day is “forging a sustainable and peaceful common future”.

Our Eyes On, Hands On volunteers are trained in keeping the headstones and war graves on their patches neat and tidy in a sustainable way. No harmful chemicals are used during any cleaning, just a bucket of warm water and a good old brush!

And of course, the headstones themselves stand as a constant reminder that peace can be so fragile. It’s something we should all work towards maintaining.

Our commitment to continuing to tell their stories to show the impossibly heavy cost of war is more important than ever.

Help us keep telling the stories of the Commonwealth’s war dead to keep their memories alive

We can keep our work going with your support.

If, like us, you’re committed to commemoration and want to ensure the sacrifices of those who fell in the World Wars are never forgotten, consider becoming a CWGF member.

As a member, you’re not only supporting our work but you get some great benefits too, including:

• Exclusive members-only blogs and articles
• Monthly newsletter updates
• Issues of our magazine the Chronicle
• Annual impact report
• Free CWGC calendar

Membership costs just £36 a year. Please consider joining today.