Stories, Research & Field Reports

*Featured External Article - November 8, 2025*

BBC Defence Correspondent Jonathan Beale profiles this project's mission to restore and document Commonwealth War Graves in Iraq.

The article follows Ben Soppitt's Remembrance Sunday visit to Basra War Cemetery, where his grandfather Gunner Joseph Soppitt is buried. It highlights the stark contrast between carefully maintained European war cemeteries and the abandoned state of Iraq's memorial sites, where more than 50,000 Commonwealth soldiers from both World Wars are commemorated.

**Key points covered:**

- The current condition of Basra War Cemetery and other sites across Iraq - The Commonwealth War Graves Commission's withdrawal in the 1990s for security reasons - Historical inequality in commemoration between British and Indian casualties - Recent documentation efforts and the push for restoration - The significance of these sites in honoring WWI and WWII sacrifices

**From the article:**

*"Ben Soppitt says the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) has 'catastrophically failed' in its duty to honour the dead in Iraq... More than 50,000 soldiers from the UK and Commonwealth nations lost their lives in Iraq in both World Wars."*

The BBC report includes photographs from recent site visits, interviews with family members of the fallen, and discussion of the challenges facing restoration efforts in Iraq's complex security environment.

**Read the full BBC News article →**

*Article by Jonathan Beale, BBC Defence Correspondent* *Published: November 8, 2025* *© BBC News*

The inscription on the Basra Memorial was written by Rudyard Kipling, who served as the Literary Adviser to the Imperial (now Commonwealth) War Graves Commission after the First World War. Kipling was responsible for crafting much of the language used on CWGC memorials and headstones, setting the enduring tone of dignity and remembrance that defines them today.

The Basra Memorial commemorates more than 40,000 Commonwealth soldiers who died in the Mesopotamian Campaign (1914–1918) and have no known grave.

The Evolution of the Inscription

In correspondence between Kipling and the IWGC, the inscription went through a series of iterations from his initial words:

**First draft:** "To the Glory of God; the honour of the Armies of the Empire, and in abiding memory of these British and Indian Officers, Non-Commissioned Officers, and men who fell on the Iraq front of the Great War 1914–1918, and in the later campaigns in the same land from 1918 to 1921: whose graves are not known."

**Second iteration:** "To the Glory of God, and to the honoured memory of these officers and men of the Armies of the British Empire, who fell in the Iraq Campaign between the years — and —. 'Remember thy children that sleep, for I shall bring them out of the sides of the earth, and show mercy to them.' — II Esdras, iii."

**Final inscription:** "To the Glory of God and in honoured memory of the officers and men of the Armies of the British Empire who fell in the campaigns in the Iraq Campaign between the years 1914 and 1921, and whose graves are not known."

A Personal Mission

Kipling was very conscious of the international nature of the force and asked repeatedly for more information on the countries represented in the Commonwealth Forces involved.

Kipling's choice of words reflects both his literary mastery and personal loss — his only son, John Kipling, was killed in 1915 at the Battle of Loos and was long listed as missing. This experience gave his work for the Commission a deeply personal resonance.

A Lasting Legacy

He also introduced the now-famous phrase "Known unto God", inscribed on the gravestones of unidentified soldiers worldwide, and helped shape the consistent biblical tone and restrained style used across all CWGC cemeteries and memorials, including those at Basra, Helles, Thiepval, and the Menin Gate.

In the early summer of 2003, a British Army Battalion Commander stationed near Al-Amarah had the unique opportunity to visit and document several Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries across Iraq—just weeks after the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime.

A Rare Glimpse During a Tumultuous Time

This firsthand account provides a valuable snapshot of the condition of Iraq's war cemeteries at a critical moment in history. The tour included visits to Basra War Cemetery, Basra Memorial, Amara War Cemetery, and Baghdad North Gate Cemetery, documenting their state before the instability that would follow.

What the Tour Revealed

The report describes the physical condition of each cemetery, the challenges of access during a period of military operations, and the emotional impact of visiting these remote and often forgotten memorials. For many of these sites, this may be one of the last detailed accounts before decades of further deterioration.

Historical Significance

These cemeteries commemorate thousands of Commonwealth servicemen who died during the Mesopotamian Campaign of World War I and subsequent operations. The 2003 observations provide crucial documentation for understanding how these sites have changed—or failed to be maintained—over the past two decades.

**Read the full article:** A Tour of Mesopotamian War Cemeteries in 2003 by the Western Front Association.

The FIBIwiki Mesopotamia Campaign page contains a comprehensive history of the Mesopotamia Campaign with articles on each battle and biographies of key participants.

When most people think of the First World War, their minds turn to the trenches of France or the battlefields of Gallipoli. Yet thousands of miles away, in the sweltering plains and rivers of modern-day Iraq, another brutal and decisive campaign was fought — one that shaped the modern Middle East and left behind thousands of Commonwealth graves that still stand today.

A Campaign Born of Oil and Empire

The Mesopotamia Campaign began in November 1914 when British and Indian troops landed at Fao, near the head of the Persian Gulf. The goal was simple yet strategic: protect British oil interests in Persia and the Gulf and secure routes vital to the Royal Navy. What began as a limited operation to defend Basra quickly expanded into a full-scale advance up the Tigris and Euphrates rivers toward Baghdad.

Triumph and Tragedy Along the Rivers

Early victories at Qurna and Shaiba gave Britain control of southern Mesopotamia. But overconfidence and poor logistics led to catastrophe at Kut-al-Amara, where General Charles Townshend's forces were besieged and ultimately forced to surrender in April 1916. It was one of the most humiliating defeats in British military history — over 13,000 soldiers taken prisoner, many dying in captivity.

Yet the campaign continued. Reinforced and reorganized, British-Indian forces under General Maude captured Baghdad in March 1917, a symbolic victory that restored morale and secured Britain's dominance in the region. Maude himself, however, would not live to see the war's end — he died of cholera later that year and lies buried in Baghdad (North Gate) War Cemetery.

Beyond 1918: Occupation and Revolt

Although the Armistice was signed in 1918, Mesopotamia's turmoil was far from over. British troops remained to administer the new mandate territory, facing growing Iraqi resistance that erupted into full revolt in 1920. Indian regiments — veterans of the Great War — were once again called upon to suppress the uprising, a final chapter in a campaign that began six years earlier under very different banners.