A Martyr's Solace - Commonwealth Grave Cemetery - Kolkata

Napoleon Bonaparte once said "It is the Cause, not the Death, that makes the Martyr". And if the Cause is as big as the two World Wars then it calls for special respect and gratitude for the Martyrs.

When I first saw Steven Spielberg's "Saving Private Ryan" I was really moved. I saw many war movies on the two World Wars after that. The opening scene of "Saving Private Ryan" that was shot in a War Cemetery named "Normandy American Cemetery and Memorial", was very captivating and from that day onward I always wanted to visit such a war cemetery. I heard of such a war cemetery in Delhi but had no idea that in Kolkata too we have quite a big war cemetery. Yes you heard me right... In Kolkata there is a very beautiful and well maintained "Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery" about which not many know.

As we have learned in History many of our people died in the two World Wars. In World War I, over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war. In World War I the Indian Army fought against the German Empire in German East Africa and on the Western Front. The Indian Army during World War II was one of the largest Allied forces contingents which took part in the North & East African Campaign and Western Desert Campaign. At the height of the World War, more than 2.5 million Indian troops were fighting Axis forces around the globe.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries respect not only Indian soldiers, but all the soldiers from the commonwealth countries who laid their lives to protect us. The Indian head office of "Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries" is in Delhi, and the cemetery there is the biggest in India. But the one inside "Bhowanipur Cemetery" is the most beautiful in Kolkata.

The nearest Metro station is "Ravindra Sarovar", If you plan to Visit "Netaji's Ancestral House" before coming here then you can also get down at "Netaji Bhawan" Metro station. Both these stations are nearby. The nearest bus stoppage is the "Bhowanipur Cemetery". Since the Bhowanipore Cemetery is an active Cemetery so it is open on all days.

The Bhowanipore Cemetery Source: TripAdvisor

The Bhowanipur Cemetery is very big and has primarily Civillian graves. At the end of the cemetery there is a part of land that is given to the "CWGC" (Commonwealth War Graves Commission) for commemorating the martyrs. Bhowanipore Cemetery is 1 km from the southern end of the Calcutta Maidan and is enclosed by a high wall. The war plot is at the rear of the civilian cemetery, some 200 meters from the main entrance. 

This civil cemetery has been in use since 1864, many of the earlier burials of service personnel and their dependents being made from the nearby garrison at Fort William, from which the cemetery initially took its name. During the Second World War, various establishments important to the war effort were posted to Calcutta and No 47 General Hospital was there from January 1943 to the beginning of February 1945. Originally, the graves were in denominational plots throughout the cemetery, war graves and civilian graves indiscriminately mingled. In 1954, the church authorities decided that it would be necessary to clear certain plots and the outlying war graves were moved by the Commission into the area with the largest number of war burials. This now forms a separate service section containing the graves of both world wars. Calcutta (Bhowanipore) Cemetery contains 95 Commonwealth burials of the First World War, including one brought in from Fort Chingrikhali Cemetery in 1934. Second World War burials number 617. The Commission also has responsibility for the care of 234 non-war burials in the cemetery.

There are in total 946 graves in this cemetery out of which 713 are identified casualties... the casualties from First & Second World Wars. Here in this cemetery lay the heroes who laid their lives for us. Celebrated Indian author Ruskin Bond’s father who worked with RAF is also buried here. We can get Details of these martyrs from the commission website: https://goo.gl/K4GqRK 

From this link we get many details of the soldier like his/her Initials, First name, Last name, Rank, Service Number, Date of death, Age, Cemetery/memorial, Regiment and The Country of service. In Calcutta (Kolkata) other than the "Bhowanipur Cemetery" two other cemeteries also have the War graves but in very less number. One casualty in the "Entally Cemetery" and three in the "Lower Circular Road Cemetery".

All the details regarding the two world wars can be sought from the commission's website that is full of interesting and helpful information: https://www.cwgc.org/history-and-archives/the-world-wars

The layout of Calcutta CWGC Cemetery source: Comission website

The cemetery is very well maintained with lush green grass and very clean and well kept head stones for graves. You can stroll over to the cemetery to pay your respects to the martyrs. You feel very emotional when you see how young these people were at the time of death. Many are from the Red cross too.

Me posing with the gardener

There are the graves of Hindu and Muslim soldiers too who are commemorated here because they fought with equal valour and zeal. Here in this cemetery lie the men and women who fought and died to preserve your freedom. May they rest peacefully together for all eternity.

The caretaker of the cemetery 

The address of The Calcutta CWGC Cemetery in Bhowanipore is:

15 Debendra Lal Khan Road, Calcutta 700027

Website: https://www.cwgc.org/

Timings: 09 AM to 04 PM, Everyday open.

Phone: 01628 507200

No. of graves: 946 graves or headstones inside the CWGC enclosure.

Nearest Metro Station: Netaji Bhawan, Rabhindra Sarovar.

Nearest Bus Stop: Bhowanipore Cemetery.

Outside the CWC cemetery in the civilian cemetery I saw a man taking rest on a grave... This might look funny but the man must be having guts to do so.

Resting in Peace on the Grave 😊🙏