Commonwealth War Graves Commission at Portsmouth & Southampton Memorials
Commonwealth War Graves Commission visits Portsmouth naval memorial
Duke of Kent Unveils Memorial Panels
The President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC), HRH the Duke of Kent, unveiled the Commission’s latest set of visitor information panels in February 2013. The Portsmouth Naval Memorial and Southampton’s Hollybrook Cemetery both feature the new panels, which provide visitors with information about the memorials and their purpose.
Portsmouth First to have New Panels
The Portsmouth Naval Memorial is the first of its kind to receive the CWGC panels. The panels provide information such as details of ships lost at sea. Almost 25 000 sailors from World Wars I and II are remembered, most of whom died at sea. The panels also feature a QR (Quick Response) code; if you scan this with a smart phone, you can obtain more information, such as biographies of some of those remembered.
Naval Memorials feature Obelisk Design
The Portsmouth memorial is located on Southsea Common and was first erected after World War I. The obelisk design was chosen to serve as a mark for shipping, and Plymouth and Chatham Naval Memorials used the same design. Portsmouth’s memorial was extended to its present size after the second World War.
- A searchable database of the names inscribed on Portsmouth Naval Memorial is available at Memorials and Monuments of Portsmouth which includes a plan of the memorial, or visit the CWGC website.
- You can use the HGS Research Centre to explore your ancestors military history; we have a wealth of military resources and expertise to help you.