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Welcome to our December Newsletter Welcome to our December newsletter, it is hard to believe we have already reached the end of 2009. November has been an extremely busy month for us at the Commission, with Remembrance ceremonies all round the world. It has been a pleasure for our staff to meet many of you at these events and we are always delighted to hear your comments and feedback. We wish you all the very best for the festive season __________________________________ Please note, a PDF version of this newsletter will be available on the CWGC website from 2 December. 
Glory Days - Football in Times of War Glory Days is a short film aimed at engaging teachers, students and football fans of all ages with the website of the same name and the role and sacrifices of footballers during the two world wars. Introduced by David Beckham, and supported by the Daily Mirror newspaper, it was sent to all schools in the UK for Remembrance time. It was very well received and on 10 November we were pleased to be able to visit St Mary’s Primary School in Maidenhead to see the DVD in action. Honour for fallen soldiers at Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin Glasnevin Cemetery in Dublin hosted a very special commemoration on 11 November when the CWGC erected headstones to honour four Irishmen who died in, or as a result of, their injuries received in the two world wars while fighting for the British Army. It is the first time the Commission has erected headstones in Glasnevin and the start of a collaborative programme to honour the 208 servicemen buried in this iconic Dublin cemetery. Climate change, and its possible impact on all aspects of our lives, is now right at the top of the media, political, scientific and environmental agendas, but what impact might a changing climate have on the horticultural work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission? If you are interested in further information about what a changing climate is likely to mean to us and the preparations we are making - have a look here for further information and let us know your views on this topic. 
Annual Report: Our 2008-09 Annual Report, published each November, is now available both as a PDF version on our website, or as a hard copy. The report is an illustrated narrative account of the Commission's activities during the previous year, and also contains financial accounts and statistical charts. The Annual Report is also available in Dutch, French, German, Italian and for the first time this year, in Arabic. 
This section continues our focus on our cemeteries. Why are some headstones not separated but joined together? Touching headstones (as in the picture right) can be found in many cemeteries – particularly those that might once have been close to a casualty clearing station. Sadly many men died before they could be evacuated to hospital and were buried in long “trenches”, shoulder to shoulder with their comrades. The lack of space between burials necessitates a different approach. Adjoining headstones are also used when the remains of those buried are intermingled. Although individual sets of remains are known, the circumstances of death made it impossible to separate individuals. One of the most common uses of this form of commemoration are the graves of second World War air crew. Have you got a cemetery related question? We understand that following a visit to a Commission cemetery or memorial, everyone has different questions they might like answered. Do get in touch if you have a specific question and we may include it in a future newsletter ____________________________________ How do you keep your memorials clean? A new video has been produced showing how we look after our Memorials, in particular The Menin Gate, Ieper in Belgium. Do have a look! 
Remembrance Ceremonies Following Remembrance this year, we were delighted to receive reports from many of you who participated in various activities and ceremonies. Royal Air Force Association, We were particularly delighted to hear from the Sud-Ouest Branch of the Royal Air Force Association, France who this year decided to visit as many RAF graves in the South West of France as possible in the lead up to Remembrance. The branch members visited a total of 110 cemeteries containing 877 RAF graves. The picture shows the youngest grave visitor, Jasmine Siddons who with her father, Guy, visited the graves of 13 members of 50 and 619 Squadron who are buried in Thure in the Vienne. Major Edwin Swales VC, DFC - Honoured in South Africa On 11 November, Major Charles Ross, Secretary of the Commission’s South African Agency, attended two unveiling ceremonies of memorials to Major Edwin Swales VC DFC. Read a full report about Major Swales and these ceremonies here. Find out more about the North African Campaign 
Find out more about the North African Campaign 1940-1943 Our new Histories microsite was launched in November covering the campaign North Africa 1940-43. which continues our collaboration with the Imperial War Museum. Do have a look, the site covers a wide range of information and is part of our Histories series, which includes information on four First World War campaigns. 
Staff at the Commission's Head Office regularly support charity events, by organising various activities. Like many organisations across the country, we supported Children in Need enjoying homemade cakes, bacon butties, staff car wash and of course a raffle. We were pleased to raise over £700! Also this year, we have been supporting Vision Aid Overseas, which helps those in the developing world with poor eye sight, by collecting spectacles Staff, friends and families managed to collect 40 pairs and we hope to get many more next year! 
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We wish you all the very best for the festive season.
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NewsletterIn this Issue Related Links *Footballers who died in battle PDF version of this newsletter will be available on the CWGC website here from 2nd December
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