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.”
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.”