'It's important these graves are visited'
That's what Megan Maltby of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission told Radio Surrey about the largest war cemetery in Britain.
Brookwood Military Cemetery, which covers a 37-acre site near Woking, is home to 1,601 burials for people who died in World War One and 3,476 for people who died in World War Two.
The nationalities of people laid to rest at the Surrey site include Commonwealth countries, wartime allies, as well as Germans and Italians.
The land began as a civilian cemetery in the 19th Century but expanded into a military cemetery after WW1 broke out.
One of the youngest people known to be buried at the site is South African soldier Thomas Knowles, who Ms Maltby said is believed to be "part of a musical band that was travelling with the South African army".
The 15-year-old died of influenza "like so many others in 1918", she said.
Brookwood Military Cemetery is also the resting place of 27 Indian soldiers, whose graves were moved from a different cemetery nearby in 1968 after vandalism incidents.
Among the names commemorated on the Brookwood 1939-1945 Memorial is Anglo-French spy Violette Szabo, who worked on behalf of the UK's Special Operations Executive in WW2.
The Allies trained Szabo as a field agent and sent her to France during its occupation to feed back useful information.
Ms Maltby said: "She was with some resistance fighters at the time they were stopped by a German patrol.
"She was captured by the Germans, she was interrogated, she was tortured, she was sadly put to death at a concentration camp."
Szabo is one of only four women to be awarded the George Cross after she was posthumously given the gallantry medal.
Virginia McKenna portrayed the spy, who married a member of the French Resistance, in 1958 film Carve Her Name with Pride.
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Spy medals 'should stay in UK'
More than 70 WW1 names added to memorial
'An affront to those who served'
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
World War Two veteran celebrates 100th birthday
A decorated World War Two veteran who carried out covert missions behind enemy lines has celebrated his 100th birthday. Henry Charles Francis, known affectionately as 'H', served in both the Royal Navy and Royal Marines after joining up aged 16. At his birthday party, Mr Francis was presented with a personal letter from the First Sea Lord, General Sir Gwyn Jenkins, acknowledging his extraordinary service. His daughter, Teresa Betton, said: "What he gave for this country, all the friends that he lost… I'm so proud of him. He tells the stories, but not all of them. He signed the secrets act and has stuck by it." More news stories for Bristol Watch the latest Points West Listen to the latest news for Bristol Mr Francis' family said the day was deeply emotional as they recalled stories of his daring missions. One tale involved being dropped into the wrong location in what was then Yugoslavia and spending five days finding his way out before being greeted by General Josip Broz Tito, who later became president of the country. Mr Francis, who lives in South Gloucestershire, was awarded the Yugoslavian military medal, which is one of many honours he earned over the years. In his letter, Gen Jenkins paid tribute to the "truly courageous" covert operations carried out by Mr Francis. He also referenced an incident in Burma when Mr Francis was injured by a bayonet before returning to the UK for a time to recover. Gen Jenkins said: "You are an incredible individual with an abundance of character, and you and all your generation are an inspiration to today's sailors and Royal Marines. "I am delighted to be able to send you the Royal Navy's best wishes for your 100th birthday." Asked for the secret to a long life, Mr Francis replied: "Before you argue with a man, make sure you can handle him." Follow BBC Bristol on Facebook, X and Instagram. Send your story ideas to us on email or via WhatsApp on 0800 313 4630. Stories similar to this Celebrations for WW2 RAF veteran's 100th birthday Veteran appointed MBE days before 100th birthday 100th birthday tribute to AA veteran
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
How a wall in Surrey helped the Allies on D-Day
Just a short drive from the Surrey town of Farnham lies the Hankley Common woodland, which hides a fascinating piece of World War Two history. Dozens stroll past the huge wall that runs through the wood each day, but few will know of the key role it played in the D-Day landings. By the end of 1942, German-occupied Europe stretched from the Atlantic coast of France in the west to the Russian Ural Mountains in the east. But Hitler felt the coastline to the west was vulnerable to invasion, so ordered forts be built on 2,000 miles (3,218km) of shoreline along France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and the northern tip of Norway. The defence system would inevitably fail, thanks in part to the tests carried out hundreds of miles away in Surrey in 1943. Royal Canadian Engineers based in the area built a replica section of wall in the woodland using plans smuggled from France, which showed how the real wall was built. The Army then began blowing the wall to pieces using two new armoured test vehicles. One of the vehicles was the AVRE mortar-firing tank, which was then used to break through the real Atlantic Wall during the D-Day landings. "It was about creating new armoured vehicles, vehicles that would be able to breach this wall," said military historian Paul McCue. "The people who built this went ashore during the invasion of France and many lost their lives. "There's a plaque on it but it's quite a modest one and it's tucked away, so people will walk past it and not see it." Today, it is clear to see the chasms that were blown out of the wall during tests, with metal rods still poking from moss-covered rubble. Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook or X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. More on this story D-Day veteran says friends' sacrifice a 'waste of life' Why has a knitted tank rolled into Llandudno?
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Chicago Tribune
Volunteers give Portage's Prairie Duneland Trail foliage a trim
Workers from Thieneman Construction and Commonwealth Engineers took a break Friday from working on projects at Portage's wastewater treatment plant to attack overgrown vegetation along the Prairie Duneland Trail. 'It was a little daunting,' said Mark Hall, north office area manager with Thieneman, when he and Park Superintendent Kelly Smith drove down the trail a month ago to gauge the scope of the work. But about 50 volunteers tackled the project, trimming branches along about two miles of the trail. 'One of the guys brought a battery-powered chainsaw' and several batteries to swap out during the day, Hall said. He used a gas-powered hedge trimmer on smaller branches while Andrew Kreps used a gas-powered pole saw. Hall's son, Matt Hall, drove a skid steer to gather branches so they could be loaded into a dump truck to be hauled away. 'At one time, we had three or four dump trucks running,' Mark said. 'Our company is big into volunteering,' said Dave Kreps, taking a short break from loading branches onto the skid steer and mashing them down so Matt could see where he was going. 'I've done this trail once from Chesterton to Hobart,' riding a bike alongside his wife, Kreps said. That sounds like a long ride, but it was even longer because he had to return to the car in Chesterton after getting to Hobart. 'With a big bike ride like this, we get a big Dairy Queen treat,' he said. At Portage's wastewater treatment plant, Kreps is helping install new equipment. The city's crew there are 'the best people I've ever worked with,' he said. Utilities Superintendent Tracie Marshall returned the compliment. 'They're like family,' she said. 'They came and did the work. If there was a problem, they came and told me when it was fixed.' The city is on a long-overdue spending spree for its wastewater treatment system, spending $14 million on new clarifiers and a solar array at the plant and $31 million this year on a north side interceptor – think of it as a giant artery transporting wastewater to the heart of the system, the treatment plant – along with lift stations in the field and an ultraviolet treatment system at the plant. 'We do a lot of work with Portage,' Mark Hall said, so the company wanted to find a way to give back to the city. Gabrielle Taber, Commonwealth's director of Indiana business development operations, said her company feels the same way. 'We picked a very good day to do this,' with a break from the hotter weather earlier this month, she said. 'It was a great turnout. It really was,' Taber said, allowing the volunteers to finish a couple of hours early. Along with Thieneman and Commonwealth, the city had crews from the treatment plant, field services and park department there. Portage Township Trustee Brendan Clancy sent workers and equipment after seeing a call for volunteers posted. Marshall and Smith worked together to come up with the trail cleanup project. 'We're overworked,' Smith said. 'We have five full-time employees. We have 19 parks.' 'We will never turn away help,' she said of volunteers offering their service to the parks. 'There's never a lack of things to do.' Figuring 50 working putting in six hours Friday, that's 300 hours of volunteer work, 'a value right under $10,000,' not counting the equipment they brought, Smith said. 'A lot of time our work is reactive because we are so small,' she said. After receiving calls about the need to trim vegetation along the trail, she knew this was the right project for Thieneman and Commonwealth. 'We're overwhelmed with gratitude. Truly,' Smith said.
