Commonwealth war graves in Lossiemouth.
A national initiative led by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has prompted calls for people in Moray to gain a greater understanding of the scale and magnitude of the Great War.
In total Moray has 475 Commonwealth War Graves located at 43 graveyards from Lossiemouth in the north to Tomintoul in the south and from Rothiemay in the east to Dyke in the west.
Angus Robertson MP is one of many members of the UK Parliament supporting the CWGC initiative throughout the UK. An all-party Parliamentary Ware Heritage Group are taking part in the ‘In from the Cold’ project, mapping 300,000 Commonwealth war dead by Parliamentary constituency.
As part of the initiative, Mr Robertson will visit Commonwealth war graves at Elgin Cemetery on Friday.
The MP said: “The Centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is a time not just for reflection and commemoration, but also an opportunity to educate a new generation of young people about the extraordinary events of a hundred years ago and to bring to life some of the personal stories from this remarkable time.
“I suspect that most people in Moray will not be aware that we have so many Commonwealth War Graves in so many communities across our region.
“These are people who gave their lives, either in battle or through injuries they sustained, to protect the freedoms that we enjoy today.
“Working with local groups and students gives us all an opportunity to explore how we would like to secure this legacy for generations to come. Visiting the graves of the fallen is a simple but profoundly important way to commemorate the outbreak of the war.”
Working with schools to bring this extraordinary period of history alive for students, in May the CWGC is launching a Local War Graves Visits programme in six locations – Cambridge, Oxford, Cannock Chase, Southampton, Plymouth and Cardiff – with plans to extend this to other parts of the UK later in the year.
Teachers will be able to take advantage of the CWGC’s network of vetted and fully trained volunteers to take them around CWGC sites and war graves, highlight key hotspots, and assist them with lesson planning.
At the Education Show in mid-March, CWGC launched an online Virtual Cemetery education portal that provides schools and teachers with a comprehensive range of resources and support materials linked to the graves and memorials in their home town.
The virtual cemetery website http://www.cwgc-virtual-cemetery.org/ is an interactive tool which enables pupils and teachers to view images and videos, learn more about CWGC’s work across the globe, and – most importantly – the people that are commemorated in its cemeteries and memorials.
The virtual cemetery resource has been designed to encourage debate and spark pupils’ interest in thinking about the centenary of the First World War and the different ways in which everyone can remember the servicemen and women who gave their lives in the conflict. The website also supports teachers with curriculum notes, lesson plans and suggestions for classroom activities.
Deirdre Mills, CWGC’s Director of UK Area, said: “The Centenary is an opportune time for us to re-engage and connect with local communities and young people, and explain how the people who are buried in our graves got to be there, who they were, and where they were from.
“More than 300,000 Commonwealth servicemen and women are commemorated in the UK.
“Many died in military hospitals whilst being treated for their wounds or fell victim to the flu pandemic as the conflict drew to a close. Their graves reflect both the local impact of the war but also its wider historical significance.
“To highlight some of the personal stories of those who are buried or commemorated in our graves, we are installing over 100 visitor information panels throughout the UK during the Centenary. The panels incorporate QR codes which, when scanned with the latest smartphone technology enable visitors to read these stories and understand the historical context.”