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Tending the gardens of the Commonwealth War Graves

Rebecca Dowling is a Garden Caretaker for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, whose mission is ‘to ensure those who died in service, or as a result of conflict, are commemorated so that they, and the human cost of war, are remembered for ever’

Remains of casualties from the First and Second World Wars are still being found, identified, reburied and commemorated, while the gardens around these important memorials are nurtured, and those casualties remembered. Spending days in a graveyard might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but for Garden Caretaker Rebecca Dowling, who helps maintain Commonwealth War Graves in Surrey, it’s an important task.

“My role is really a combination of gardening and military history, and I just love talking to people. The Commission is such a unique organisation to work for and Brookwood is more than just a cemetery because of all the ceremonies, commemorations and events we have here.” 

“I only work at Brookwood usually, but we do have mobile gardeners who garden in other locations, keeping the headstones clear, and craftspeople who erect and maintain the headstones so that the inscription is always easy to read. There are so many stories to be found in the words on the headstones, and we always take time to stop and pay attention, especially if we notice a birthday or the date they died is today’s date. Most of them were so young.”

We believe that remembering individuals who have died in conflicts is of universal, perpetual relevance, and that reflecting on their deaths is of continuing and paramount importance for us all.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Rebecca worked at RHS Wisley for 5 years, in the old trials field. She has been part of a small team at Brookwood Military Cemetery for 16 years and is what they call a GC1, a Garden Caretaker 1st Class, which is an old Civil Service term.  “We have about 37 acres and look after the headstones of about 6,500 casualties of WW1 and WW2, but also have graves of Chelsea Pensioners, casualties of the Iran, Iraq and Falklands wars and two memorials for soldiers missing in action. We have very few British casualties here because they were buried where they fell, so most of our graves belong to casualties from other countries, especially Canada, but also Australia, New Zealand and South Africa amongst others, including POW graves.”

Where else would you be gardening in preparation for the 100th anniversary of WW1 or the 80th anniversary of D- Day?

Rebecca Dowling

Keeping things neat is a full-time job at the CWGC
A small team of dedicated gardeners look after the War Graves at Brookwood
CWGC cemeteries can be found at 23,000 locations, in more than 150 countries, with a large proportion buried along the south coast of England. There will usually be a sign outside the cemetery or churchyard saying ‘At this location there are Commonwealth War Graves,’ and they are easy to spot, once you know what you are looking for. There’s military precision to the layout of the cemetery but there’s no difference between the headstones, other than shape, which can be chosen by the country. 

Whatever rank the casualty, his headstone will be the same as every other CWGC headstone in the world, the same height, width and distance from the next.

Rebecca Dowling
Architect Edwin Luytens and plantswoman Gertrude Jekyll were both involved in the design of the CWGC cemeteries, with Richard Hill designing the original planting scheme. Reginald Blomfield designed the Cross of Sacrifice, which you’ll see across the world, while Lutyens, who designed the Cenotaph in London, also designed the Stone of Remembrance, which usually bares the inscription ‘Their name liveth for evermore.’

The planting follows a formula, supposed to represent an English country garden, with a strong sense of balance and repetition. Roses are included on most sites, but they don’t grow on Brookwoods sandy, nutrient-deficient soil, so they rely on alternatives, like Nandina, structural evergreens, grasses, plants with interesting seedheads and low-growing plants such as sedums and Sempervivum. They also have a deer problem, so plants must be tough, and if deemed suitable they try to plant trees relevant to the country of the casualty, e.g. Canadian maples, Italian cypress.

The busiest time at Brookwood is around Remembrance Day in November. All of their autumn site maintenance has to be completed before this, but the site must also look good all year round for other ceremonies.  “We get a real mix of visitors to Brookwood. We’re on the school run, so get lots of parents with young kids, who use it, respectfully, like a park, with pushchairs, scooters and dogs, but then we have members of the military come from the local barracks as part of their training, and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst is nearby too. They come to garden, alongside other military professionals, and it’s a good opportunity to talk about their experiences. The most important visitors though, are the relatives of casualties. They can get really upset when they are here, and we have to judge whether we stop gardening and move away or stay and talk to them.”

We believe that each one of those we commemorate were people like us, with their own ambitions, hopes, and dreams. It is our duty and privilege to care for their graves and memorials and through our charitable Foundation, keep their stories alive.

Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The most important visitors are the relatives of casualties
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