Commonwealth War Graves Commission - Announcement

[gurkharifles]

I'm sure many of you will have read about the report into the "war graves racism" of WW1 by the Imperial War Graves Commission - below is the response on the CWGC web site and a link to the full report.

Founded over a century ago to commemorate the First World War dead of the British Empire, from the outset the Imperial War Grave Commission’s work was defined by the principle of equality of treatment in death. Whatever an individual’s rank in social or military life, whatever their religion, they would be commemorated identically – with their name engraved either on a headstone over an identified grave or on a memorial to the missing. This report finds that, although the organisation upheld its promise of equality of treatment in Europe, this was not always the case for certain ethnic groups elsewhere.

This report estimates that between 45,000 and 54,000 casualties (predominantly Indian, East African, West African, Egyptian and Somali personnel) were commemorated unequally.

A further 116,000 casualties (predominantly, but not exclusively, East African and Egyptian personnel) but potentially as many as 350,000, were not commemorated by name or possibly not commemorated at all.
Although conditions and circumstances sometimes made the IWGC’s job difficult or even impossible, on many occasions differences in commemoration were avoidable. This report finds that the IWGC is responsible for these shortcomings – either because of its own decision making or its complicity in the decision making of other authorities. In certain circumstances the IWGC did not stand by its principles or insist upon them being upheld. This would not have happened in Europe.

Despite clearly making this argument, this report also shines a light on wider administrative errors and prejudiced attitudes that influenced or played a role in bringing about these issues.

Ultimately, many of these errors and attitudes belonged to departments of the British Imperial Government, including the War Office and Colonial Office.

https://www.cwgc.org/non-commemorati...eid=58b9e597f0

[mike_vee]

Headline news on the BBC but while I agree it was wrong I think that applying todays standards to events that happened 100 years ago is pointless.

Social , political and cultural 'norms' were very different and there are many lessons to be learned but the modern (social media driven) situation of people/companies/institutions having to issue an apology for 'historical' practices seems to be more about 'appearance' (fear of bad publicity) .

The investigation was set up by the commission in 2019, following a Channel 4 documentary, Unremembered, presented by Labour MP and shadow justice secretary David Lammy.

Everyone Remembered

The Royal British Legion, as the UK’s national custodian of Remembrance is working with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to keep alive the memory of those who died in the First World War. By the end of the Centenary in 2018, our objective is to ensure every fallen hero from across the Commonwealth is remembered individually by those living today.

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[gurkharifles]

I fully agree with you Mike - and the sad thing is that the Imperial War Graves Commission was so far ahead of its time when it announced in January 1918 -"the Commission's decision is that those who have given their lives are members of one family, and children of one mother who owes to all an equal tribute of gratitude and affection, and that in death, all, from General to Private of whatever race or creed, should receive equal honour under a memorial which should be the common symbol of their comradeship and of the cause for which they died" - There was criticism of this stance from a lot of quarters , based on class ( officers should have a bigger headstone! ) religion ( the headstone was not Christian enough ) etc etc - most of this criticism was very publicly aired in the newspapers of the time especially The Spectator and the Daily Mail. Even Rudyard Kipling (one of the commissioners of the IWGC ) was denounced as being not an appropriate choice for devising the inscription on the standard memorials as he was "not a known religious man" - the phrase Kipling had come up with for unidentified remains was - " A soldier of the Great War ..Known unto God"

So its sad that a generation that doesn't read beyond the Headlines will now believe that the CWGC is "institutionally racist" - when nothing could be further from the truth.

[mike_vee]

Originally Posted by gurkharifles

So its sad that a generation that doesn't read beyond the Headlines will now believe that the CWGC is "institutionally racist" - when nothing could be further from the truth.

I've just read the Executive Summary of the report and one paragraph stood out :

Most of these men were commemorated by memorials that did not carry their names – in part because the IWGC was never furnished with their names or places of burial by the military or colonial authorities, in part because it chose to diverge from its principles in the belief that the communities these men came from would not recognise or value such individual forms of commemoration.

So , the IWGC is being blamed because information was not passed on to them !

Also , many nationalites/religions did not routinely mark graves (this still applies today) and the IWGC was (perhaps mistakenly) trying to repect their cultural beliefs.
Yet the governor of a British colony is accused of making "racist comments" for stating this.

The problem today is that if you do not agree 100% with certain opinions you are branded a racist or an apologist for past events.

Britains involvement in the slave trade was wrong (by todays standards) but slavery has existed in Africa for thousands of years . Who built the pyramids ?

Slavery has historically been widespread in Africa. Systems of servitude and slavery were common in parts of Africa in ancient times.

When the trans-Saharan slave trade, Indian Ocean slave trade and Atlantic slave trade (which started in the 16th century) began, many of the pre-existing local African slave systems began supplying captives for slave markets outside Africa.

The CWGC were (and are still) doing great and worthy work and their reputation does not deserve to be tarnished .


Edit : Just been reported that the Government has also now issued an apology !

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[elgee45]

Now that the world is much more enlightened than at any time in the past, let's not forget that the Mayor and the Common Council of Rome owe an apology and compensation for the Rape of the Sabine Women in the 8th. century B.C. by a bunch of out of control Roman squaddies.

[Luke H]

Originally Posted by mike_vee

. Who built the pyramids ?

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Aliens 👽 obviously!

I believe they have recently excavated remains of villages belonging to the workers plus some tombs and the current academic thinking is they were not slaves.

[Hoot]

I wholeheartedly agree that all the casualties of war should be remembered equally but as soon as I read the name of that gobshite David Lammy that was it for me. I'm sick and tired of people putting down Great Britain and the British people and I'm also sick and tired of the woke apologists who suck up to the point-scoring stirrers. We can't change history, what's done is done, there's no going back, just get over it. Have a nice day!!.

[Luke H]

Originally Posted by gurkharifles

A further 116,000 casualties (predominantly, but not exclusively, East African and Egyptian personnel) but potentially as many as 350,000, were not commemorated by name or possibly not commemorated at all.

Lest we forget, powerful words often used on here. It seems we forgot.

Originally Posted by gurkharifles

. This would not have happened in Europe..

It’s 2021, find their names where we can, carve them in stone.