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Welcome to our March Newsletter Thank you so much for the feedback we received following our last two newsletters and a particular thank you to those who submitted photographs and responded to our surveys. We hope you enjoy this newsletter, which for the first time includes Battles this Month a new feature for this newsletter. <Please click here for a PDF version of the newsletter> 
FROMELLES JOINT IDENTIFICATION BOARD RECONVENES In early April 2011, a joint British and Australian Identification Board will reconvene in London. The Board will attempt to identify some of the remaining 154 unknown soldiers who were recovered from the mass graves at Pheasant Wood, in Fromelles, in 2009 and who now lie buried in Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery. For more information visit the Fromelles website here. Who Do You Think You Are Live? 
Who Do You Think You Are Live? It was a pleasure to see so many of you at our stand at Olympia and to have an opportunity to talk to you about our work and to assist you with your enquiries. Our friends at The War Graves Photographic Project (TWGPP) also manned their part of the stand, assisting visitors with their research. Over 150 photographic requests were fulfilled at the event with many others taking forms away for future use. Many were surprised to find that a picture of the grave or memorial was available now that there are over 1.6 million images held in the archive. We were delighted they could join us at this event once again. 
We were overwhelmed by the response we received following our item last month. There were so many excellent photographs. Do take a look at our Facebook page for some examples of those submitted. From this month's submissions, we have chosen this photograph of Florence War Cemetery last October submitted by Wilf Ward Thank you Wilf for letting us use your photograph. You can view a full size version, by clicking on the photograph in the right hand column. _______________________________________________ Do you have any photographs of UK cemeteries or plots - we would be most interested and will feature the chosen photograph in our next newsletter. Please email any submissions for next month to this email address Climate Change and the Commission 
Climate Change Update For 18 months we have been conducting climate change demonstrations at four of our cemeteries in northern Europe. One of the aims of the demonstrations has been to get your views on the different approaches taken and by monitoring the visitor books, and through use of an online survey, we have received some very useful feedback from you. While support for our work on climate change, and the approaches taken at three of the cemeteries was strong, there was little enthusiasm for the hard landscaping adopted at Railway Chateau cemetery in Belgium. Although dry landscaping is commonly and successfully employed by the Commission at cemeteries where grass cannot be grown or maintained – usually due to a lack of a regular water supply – this was the first time it had been demonstrated at a cemetery in northern Europe. As a result of the feedback received, Railway Chateau will be re-established as a typical lawn cemetery in the spring of 2011. The cemetery will remain part of the climate change demonstrations as we will use drought tolerant plants in the borders and a drought tolerant grass mix. We are most grateful to all those who took part in the survey to date. The demonstrations will run for another four years and we will continue to monitor and update you on the outcomes. More information about the Commission and climate change can be found here. 
Many thanks to ALL of you who have completed the surveys which were sent out in our special customer service newsletter last month. We have received almost 1000 replies to our Cemetery Visit Survey, and 600 responses to our Customer Service Survey. This was the first time we have ever asked for your comments on our cemeteries and your replies are extremely helpful, thank you. If you have not yet taken part in our surveys, and would like to do so, you can access them via the links in the right hand column >>>>>>>> We will of course review all your comments and report back our findings in a future newsletter. 
Montrose war graves plot renovated During the last few weeks, Commission staff, with help from Angus Council have been carrying out maintenance on herbaceous borders and turfed areas to improve the appearance of war graves within Sleepyhillock Cemetery in Montrose, Angus. To read more about this work, why not: Visit our news and event page and video news page 
The Battle of Neuve Chapelle 10-13 March 1915. The British Expeditionary Force (BEF) launches an offensive at Neuve Chapelle. Following a short bombardment by around 350 artillery pieces four British and Indian Divisions attacked along a 4000 yard frontage. Although initially the battle went well, early success is not maintained. The British dig in and beat off German counter attacks. BEF casualties amount to 11,500 men. Notable casualties Rifleman Gobar Sing Negi V C , 39th Garhwal Rifles, Indian Army. Killed in action 10 March 1915. Panel 32 and 33.Neuve Chapelle Memorial Further information about the involvement by the Indian Army can be found on our website. Other battles this month include: *The action of St Eloi, 14-15 March 1915 *Operation Michael 21 March 1918 onwards With thanks to the Western Front Association for providing this article (WFA). For further information about the WFA please see below. 
We are delighted to be working in partnership with the Western Front Association, giving us an opportunity to provide you with a wider range of information. The Western Front Association (WFA) was formed with the aim of furthering interest in The Great War of 1914-1918 and also perpetuating the memory, courage and comradeship of all those on all sides who served their countries in France and Flanders and elsewhere around the world during the Great War. Established in 1980 by noted military historian John Giles, the WFA has grown over the years to some 6,000 members worldwide.
The Association supports a wide range of local WFA Branches in the United Kingdom, in other European countries, in the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and elsewhere. Please see the Events section of the website to find out more about what is happening at a Branch near you. 
This month we once again visit countries around the world, focussing on some of the more unusual places where we have a commitment This month we focus on ROMANIA Responsibility for the war graves in Romania rests with the Commission's Outer Area office which is based in Maidenhead, UK, and is managed by our Regional Supervisor based in Greece. Don't forget..... The Commission publishes a series of free information sheets illustrating aspects of its work and major cemeteries and memorials. These can be downloaded from our website, or copies are available from our Enquiries Section 
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February 2011 NewsletterIn this Issue Social Media 
Florence War Cemetery, Italy by Wilf Ward (click on the photo to enlarge) CWGC United Kingdom Area Leaflet *The Commission is not responsible for the content of these external sites Please click on the links below to participate in these surveys Pass it on Do you know anyone who would like to receive this newsletter? |
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