{"id":86263,"date":"2022-02-10T06:59:28","date_gmt":"2022-02-10T06:59:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/?p=86263"},"modified":"2022-02-10T06:59:28","modified_gmt":"2022-02-10T06:59:28","slug":"commonwealth-war-cemetery-tribute-to-brave-warriors-by-arundathie-abeysinghe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/websitedesigns.com.au\/elankanew\/commonwealth-war-cemetery-tribute-to-brave-warriors-by-arundathie-abeysinghe\/","title":{"rendered":"Commonwealth War Cemetery – tribute to brave warriors By Arundathie Abeysinghe"},"content":{"rendered":"

Commonwealth War Cemetery – tribute to brave warriors<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

By Arundathie Abeysinghe<\/strong><\/span><\/h1>\n

\"Commonwealth<\/p>\n

\"\"Serene and incredibly well-maintained Commonwealth War Cemetery also known as Kandy War Cemetery is a memorial to known and unknown warriors who sacrificed their lives during World War I and II. This cemetery is one of the most well-maintained and visited war cemeteries in the world. There is one Commonwealth burial from the World War I and 196 Commonwealth burials from the World War II. The cemetery also has four foreign national burials and two non-world war burials. The graveyard formerly known as the Pitakande Military Cemetery was taken over by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission as a permanent war cemetery<\/span><\/p>\n

Located approximately 1.5 kilometers from the entrance to the *Peradeniya Botanical Gardens, the Cemetery is maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Among the burials in the Cemetery, 203 buried comprise 107 British, 35 East Africans, 26 Sri Lankans, 23 Indians, 6 Canadians, 3 Italians, 1 Frenchman and 2 unidentified persons. Of the 203 dead, 151 had served in the Army, 32 in the Air Force, 16 in the Navy, 2 burials were unidentified, 1 was a merchant in the Navy and 1 was from the national fire service.<\/span><\/p>\n

During World War II, *Ceylon was a naval and air force base, a training ground for jungle warfare as well as the location of a hospital for injured soldiers. Located in a strategic position in the Indian Ocean astride the allied sea route linking Australia, India and the Middle East and being the hub of maritime power in the Indian Ocean, Ceylon was the headquarters of the Supreme Allied Commander, Southeast Asia Command from April 1944 to November 1945.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Commonwealth<\/p>\n

The majority of military deaths in the island during World War I occurred in Colombo Military Hospital, to which sick or injured troops who were either based in Ceylon or were evacuated from passing ships had been brought for treatment.<\/span><\/p>\n

During World War II there was a decisive moment for the British defending the empire against the Japanese after Singapore was occupied by the Japanese. The military headquarters were shifted from Burma to Ceylon.\u00a0 During this period, the city of Kandy was a significant center and the headquarters of the South East Asian Command, a key location for the war effort from April 1944. *Admiral Lord Mountbatten was the Supreme Allied Commander coordinating the land war against the Japanese. Lord Mountbatten gave his instructions from Peradeniya Botanical Gardens to hold up the Japanese. Hence, Kandy played a significant role during the British Colonial era.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are two British Cemeteries in Kandy, the Commonwealth War Cemetery and *British Garrison Cemetery.<\/span><\/p>\n

Due to its location and salubrious weather, the Commonwealth War Cemetery is considered one of the most beautifully landscaped and maintained war cemeteries.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Special Memorial commemorates a naval man known to have been buried in the cemetery but whose grave could not be precisely located. It bears the superscription \u201cBuried near this spot\u201d.<\/span><\/p>\n

The War Cemetery is located in close proximity to the *Mahaweli River.<\/span><\/p>\n

Opening and closing times<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

10 a.m. to 12 noon and 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. (Daily)<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n