Brookwood Military Cemetery – The Canadian Second World War Plot

Two short(ish) posts coming up, just to show you the areas of Brookwood Military Cemetery that we haven’t yet visited.  First, this is the Canadian Second World War Plot – or at least some of it. 

Plan of the cemetery that you are probably familiar with by now, this time with the Canadian Plot marked in mauve.  As you can see, it is by far the largest plot here.  The first shot is taken from behind the Cross of Sacrifice (the red dot) looking down the eastern half of the plot.

And here we are at the southern end of the plot, on a sunny day with exhibits and picnickers,…

…this the view from behind the tent looking towards the Stone of Remembrance and, way beyond, the Cross of Sacrifice.

View from the plot’s southern corner, and if we stroll across the cemetery,…

…this is the view from the eastern corner.

Don’t expect a full tour of this section of the cemetery,…

…just a series of snapshots to give you a flavour of the place – this is, after all, primarily a Great War website.

The Stone of Remembrance, halfway up the plot,…

…and the views to the left,…

…and to the right.  If we make our way across to the far, eastern, side of the cemetery,…

…and continue north (the man buried on the right in the foreground died the day after Germany’s unconditional surrender on 8th May 1945), you might just spot some headstones tucked away in the shade beneath the trees in the distance,…

…and which I have marked in green on the earlier map.

These are all post-war Canadian burials and include some senior officers, a lieutenant commander of the Royal Canadian Navy who died in 1965 (on the right),…

…and a Royal Artillery captain with a military cross from the Great War who fought with the Royal Canadian Artillery in the Second World War, and who died in 1950 (closest to camera) as a lieutenant colonel.

Returning to the main Canadian plot,…

…there are a total of 2,004 Canadian casualties buried within, the earliest, two men who died in December 1939,…

…with the final burial being a man who died in July 1947.

View from the Cross looking towards the Stone of Remembrance…

…and the Brookwood Memorial beyond.

Cross of Sacrifice and, in the distance beneath the trees, the post-Second World War plot.

From here, if we make our way towards the western corner of the cemetery,…

…from where this view looks east across the whole plot, and then turn round to find a way through the bushes behind us,…

…we would encounter one more plot, the likes of which you will find nowhere else in the world.  This plot is unique, and for once the word is appropriate.  And it’s still in use.  I’ll show you very shortly.