Son honours mother’s promise to visit father’s grave

We were delighted to hear earlier in the year from Brian Rowson who found his father's grave in a Commission war cemetery after an inspirational CWGF volunteer speaker talk.

The CWGF were very touched to hear that, after attending a talk, Mr Brian Rowson reached out to our volunteer Tony Scott to enquire about the condition of Khayat Beach War Cemetery in Haifa, Israel.

Son visits father's grave following CWGF talk

Image: Gunner F.W. Rowson's headstone

Khayat Beach War Cemetery is the final resting place of his father Gunner F.W. Rowson.

Brian explains that his mother was never able to visit her husband’s grave but he wanted to make this journey for her.

‘’Finding the place was not without its challenges," Brian said. "Nobody we spoke to had heard of it, but they did know of a huge cemetery mainly of Jewish graves some four miles outside of Hafia.

"The cemetery is located between a minor road and a six-lane highway perhaps 600 yards back from the sea. The CWGC keep the cemetery in excellent order, grass cut, and headstones clean and in perfect condition.

"We had no trouble in finding Dad’s headstone.’’

While in Israel, Brian took some snaps of Khayat Beach War Cemetery. See below for Brian's photographs. Thank you for sharing Brian! 

All images © Brian Rowson and used with permission.

Khayat Beach War Cemetery

Khayat Beach War Cemetery sits in the coastal city of Haifa, Israel.

Haifa was a strategic location in World War Two, thanks to its deep water harbour and its airfield. It is also the terminus of the railway line from Egypt and the vital Kirkuk-Haifa oil pipeline.

During World War two, the port city became one of the key nodes for supplying troops in the Middle East. A large Royal Navy depot was established there too.

Khayat Beach Cemetery was built by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1941 for expected casualties from operations in and around Palestine, Israel, and the wider Middle East.

Just shy of 700 Commonwealth troops and Merchant Navy personnel are buried at the Khayat Beach Cemetery.

The CWGF Volunteer Speakers Programme

Telling the stories of our war dead is our mission at the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation. We were ecstatic to hear that Brian was inspired on his journey after hearing Tony Scott speak.

If you have a passion for history and public speaking, why not become one of our CWGF Volunteer Speakers?

We entrust our Volunteer Speakers to engage with groups of all ages and backgrounds to help keep the memories of the men and women who fell in the World Wars alive.

Interested? Learn more about our Volunteer Speakers Programme today.

Be sure to visit the Commission Volunteering page for opportunities to get involved and support our work at the Commonwealth War Graves Foundation.