Amara War Cemetery (British) - Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Amarah, ~305-344 km southeast of Baghdad, Iraq

Amara War Cemetery (British)

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Amara (Al-ʿAmārah) on the Tigris became a principal medical and burial centre for the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force during WWI. From 1915, hospitals and depots clustered here, and the cemetery grew into the largest Commonwealth burial ground in southern Mesopotamia.

Quick Information

Location

Amarah, ~305-344 km southeast of Baghdad

Commemorated

4,621 commemorated

WWI: 4,621 • WWII: 0

Status

Memorial Wall Repaired 2022, Best maintained WW1 CWGC site in Iraq

Last Updated

1 April 2025

Key Takeaways

  • • Despite limited funding, training or support the local guardian shows what can be achieved in Iraq
  • • The guardians' family have looked after this site for over 65 years - a remarkable achievement
  • • Best kept Commonwealth Cemetery in Iraq by a very long way
  • • Original bronze sword from Cross of Sacrifice preserved - believed to be the only original one left in Iraq
  • • Contains the only known memorial to a casualty of Operation Telic (Lance Corporal James McCue)

Amara War Cemetery has two parts which have fared very differently over the past few decades, the British Cemetery and the Indian Cemetery (often referred to as the Indian Left Bank Cemetery but is actually only 50 feet from the British one and on the same side of the river).

The British Cemetery covers a large area and has 4,621 graves, the majority known (925 are unidentified) and buried individually. The headstones were removed in the 1930s and replaced with a Memorial Wall.

Amara War Cemetery, historical photographs

Historical photographs from the cemetery's earlier decades, when the original gatehouse, Cross of Sacrifice and War Stone still stood and the grounds were tended as a true garden of palms, lawns and hedges. Images © CWGC.

The gatehouse photographed from the approach road, with a local figure standing beneath the archway and the Cross of Sacrifice visible through the gate beyond. © CWGC.
The gatehouse photographed from the approach road, with a local figure standing beneath the archway and the Cross of Sacrifice visible through the gate beyond. © CWGC.
The principal avenue through the cemetery, lined by mature palms and flowering borders, with the Cross of Sacrifice in the distance. © CWGC.
The principal avenue through the cemetery, lined by mature palms and flowering borders, with the Cross of Sacrifice in the distance. © CWGC.
A wide view across the cemetery lawns, with the gatehouse at left and the Cross of Sacrifice at right, set among lines of mature date palms. © CWGC.
A wide view across the cemetery lawns, with the gatehouse at left and the Cross of Sacrifice at right, set among lines of mature date palms. © CWGC.
An early view across the cemetery lawns, with the gatehouse just visible at far left and the Cross of Sacrifice standing among the avenue of mature date palms at right. © CWGC.
An early view across the cemetery lawns, with the gatehouse just visible at far left and the Cross of Sacrifice standing among the avenue of mature date palms at right. © CWGC.
A path bordered by trimmed hedges runs between plots of headstones, framed by palms and trees, when the cemetery was maintained as a garden. © CWGC.
A path bordered by trimmed hedges runs between plots of headstones, framed by palms and trees, when the cemetery was maintained as a garden. © CWGC.
The Cross of Sacrifice rising above ordered rows of headstones, with date palms forming a dense backdrop. © CWGC.
The Cross of Sacrifice rising above ordered rows of headstones, with date palms forming a dense backdrop. © CWGC.
The Memorial Wall set within lawns and palms, erected in the 1930s when the original headstones, destroyed by the saline soil, were removed and the names of all casualties inscribed on permanent screen wall panels. © CWGC.
The Memorial Wall set within lawns and palms, erected in the 1930s when the original headstones, destroyed by the saline soil, were removed and the names of all casualties inscribed on permanent screen wall panels. © CWGC.
The cemetery prior to its reconstruction, with original wooden and concrete crosses marking individual graves among palms, before the headstones were removed in the 1930s and the names transferred to the Memorial Wall. © CWGC.
The cemetery prior to its reconstruction, with original wooden and concrete crosses marking individual graves among palms, before the headstones were removed in the 1930s and the names transferred to the Memorial Wall. © CWGC.
British soldiers photographed in front of the Memorial Wall at Amara War Cemetery, c. 2004, with a local Iraqi staff member kneeling at right.
British soldiers photographed in front of the Memorial Wall at Amara War Cemetery, c. 2004, with a local Iraqi staff member kneeling at right.

The Cross of Sacrifice, then and now

The Cross of Sacrifice at Amara War Cemetery across a century, from its original construction in the 1920s, when it stood at the head of the original gravestones later replaced by the Memorial Wall, through its destruction by militants in 2004, to the surviving pedestal and bronze sword today.

The Cross of Sacrifice in its original condition, standing at the head of the original headstones before they were removed and replaced by the Memorial Wall in the 1930s. © CWGC.
1920sThe Cross of Sacrifice in its original condition, standing at the head of the original headstones before they were removed and replaced by the Memorial Wall in the 1930s. © CWGC.
A photograph from the Hasan family archive, three men gathered at the base of the Cross, the bronze sword still mounted on the shaft and date palms visible behind. Taken after the original headstones had been removed.
Hasan family archiveA photograph from the Hasan family archive, three men gathered at the base of the Cross, the bronze sword still mounted on the shaft and date palms visible behind. Taken after the original headstones had been removed.
The Cross of Sacrifice after its destruction by militants in 2004, reduced to a heap of broken stones on the pedestal. Members of the Hasan caretaker family stand alongside the rubble with shovels.
2004, after destructionThe Cross of Sacrifice after its destruction by militants in 2004, reduced to a heap of broken stones on the pedestal. Members of the Hasan caretaker family stand alongside the rubble with shovels.
The site of the Cross of Sacrifice today, the pedestal alone remaining on a wide expanse of cleared ground. Mr. Hasan has built up and dressed the pedestal with greenery in the form of the original Cross. A modern road and street lighting are visible along the boundary beyond.
TodayThe site of the Cross of Sacrifice today, the pedestal alone remaining on a wide expanse of cleared ground. Mr. Hasan has built up and dressed the pedestal with greenery in the form of the original Cross. A modern road and street lighting are visible along the boundary beyond.

The Gatehouse, then and now

The original Amara War Cemetery gatehouse, with its inscribed lintel, domed cupola and arched entrance, photographed in its early years and at the site today. It was demolished, reportedly on the orders of the CWGC Country Manager, in 1998.

The original gatehouse, with its inscribed lintel and domed cupola, framed by date palms and the iron perimeter railings of the cemetery. © CWGC.
ThenThe original gatehouse, with its inscribed lintel and domed cupola, framed by date palms and the iron perimeter railings of the cemetery. © CWGC.
The site of the gatehouse today, marked only by mounded earth and rubble after its demolition in 1998. The original perimeter has been lost, with only scrub and a fragment of fence visible at right.
TodayThe site of the gatehouse today, marked only by mounded earth and rubble after its demolition in 1998. The original perimeter has been lost, with only scrub and a fragment of fence visible at right.

The Stone of Remembrance, then and now

The Stone of Remembrance at Amara War Cemetery, photographed across a century: as it stood in its original condition in the 1920s, and the broken inscription fragments that survive today after its destruction by militants in 2004.

The Stone of Remembrance in its original condition, inscribed "Their Name Liveth For Evermore", flanked by original wooden crosses with a backdrop of date palms. © CWGC.
1920sThe Stone of Remembrance in its original condition, inscribed "Their Name Liveth For Evermore", flanked by original wooden crosses with a backdrop of date palms. © CWGC.
The remains of the Stone today, broken into fragments and lying in the grass at the site. The carved inscription "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE" is still partially legible across the shattered pieces.
TodayThe remains of the Stone today, broken into fragments and lying in the grass at the site. The carved inscription "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE" is still partially legible across the shattered pieces.

Amara War Cemetery today

Photographs from recent visits to the cemetery, showing the grounds as they appear today.

The cemetery grounds today, kept as an open park of grass and mature date palms by Mr Hasan and his family. The Iraqi flag flies in the distance.
The cemetery grounds today, kept as an open park of grass and mature date palms by Mr Hasan and his family. The Iraqi flag flies in the distance.
Close-up of surviving headstone fragments in the grass, including the regimental badge of the North Staffordshire Regiment on the marker for 11040 Private E. Condliffe of the North Staffordshire Regiment, killed 25 January 1917.
Close-up of surviving headstone fragments in the grass, including the regimental badge of the North Staffordshire Regiment on the marker for 11040 Private E. Condliffe of the North Staffordshire Regiment, killed 25 January 1917.
The renovated Memorial Wall today, with panels intact and well displayed following Mr Hasan's 2022 renovation. The opening panel records Lt Commander Cookson VC of the Royal Navy.
The renovated Memorial Wall today, with panels intact and well displayed following Mr Hasan's 2022 renovation. The opening panel records Lt Commander Cookson VC of the Royal Navy.
The bronze plaque to Lance Corporal Jim McCue, who gave his life on Op TELIC, 1976–2003. Added in 2004, it is the only such Op TELIC memorial left in Iraq, the others having been removed by the British Army in 2009 and re-installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The bronze plaque to Lance Corporal Jim McCue, who gave his life on Op TELIC, 1976–2003. Added in 2004, it is the only such Op TELIC memorial left in Iraq, the others having been removed by the British Army in 2009 and re-installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.
The dedication panel on the Memorial Wall, recording the officers and men of the Forces of the British Empire buried or commemorated in the cemetery, 1914-1920, together with the 925 of their comrades whose names are not known.
The dedication panel on the Memorial Wall, recording the officers and men of the Forces of the British Empire buried or commemorated in the cemetery, 1914-1920, together with the 925 of their comrades whose names are not known.
Looking across the open grounds of the cemetery towards the surviving pedestal of the Cross of Sacrifice in the distance, with the salt-scarred ground in the foreground showing the harsh saline soil that destroyed the original headstones.
Looking across the open grounds of the cemetery towards the surviving pedestal of the Cross of Sacrifice in the distance, with the salt-scarred ground in the foreground showing the harsh saline soil that destroyed the original headstones.
A wide view across the open lawns of the cemetery today, with mature date palms running across the middle distance and the ferris wheel of the adjoining amusement park visible at left beyond the boundary.
A wide view across the open lawns of the cemetery today, with mature date palms running across the middle distance and the ferris wheel of the adjoining amusement park visible at left beyond the boundary.
The grassed grounds of the cemetery today, with date palms at right, the surrounding city visible beyond the perimeter and an Iraqi religious flag flying in the distance at left.
The grassed grounds of the cemetery today, with date palms at right, the surrounding city visible beyond the perimeter and an Iraqi religious flag flying in the distance at left.

The original gatehouse for the British cemetery was demolished by the CWGC country manager in 1998.

The Cross of Sacrifice that featured in a photo in the 2003 report was destroyed by Militants in 2004, along with the Stone of Remembrance. The remnants of these features remain on the site in the hope of eventual renovation. Only the pedestal of the Cross remains and, amazingly the Bronze sword, which was retained by the caretaker, the last remaining one.

The same family has maintained the site since the 1960s, with Mr Hasan Ahtif Mousa and his son, Mustafa, still there despite being unpaid for many years and at personal risk with little by way of support or resources expected of such a large site. Mr. Hasan is the gentleman mentioned in the original 2003 report.

Mr. Hasan completed a renovation of the memorial wall in 2022 and all the panels are intact and well displayed. A bronze plaque was added in 2004 for a casualty of Op Telic, the only such memorial left in Iraq with the others removed by the British Army in 2009 and re-installed at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

Mr Hasan and team renovating the Memorial Wall, 2022

Photographs documenting the 2022 renovation of the Amara Memorial Wall, undertaken by Mr Hasan Ahtif Mousa and his team. Panels were carefully removed, cleaned and re-installed onto the rebuilt brick wall, ensuring the names of all casualties remain visible and intact.

Members of the team carefully lifting and clearing panels from the ground in front of the rebuilt section of the Memorial Wall.
Members of the team carefully lifting and clearing panels from the ground in front of the rebuilt section of the Memorial Wall.
A worker carrying one of the heavy memorial panels across the cemetery grounds during the 2022 renovation.
A worker carrying one of the heavy memorial panels across the cemetery grounds during the 2022 renovation.
Memorial panels laid out on the grass, marked and numbered (No.2, No.3, etc.) ready for re-installation in their correct positions on the wall.
Memorial panels laid out on the grass, marked and numbered (No.2, No.3, etc.) ready for re-installation in their correct positions on the wall.
The renovation in progress at sunset: panels staged on the ground while the team works on the rebuilt brick wall in the background.
The renovation in progress at sunset: panels staged on the ground while the team works on the rebuilt brick wall in the background.
A completed section of the renovated Memorial Wall, with regimental crests and inscribed panels reset between brick piers.
A completed section of the renovated Memorial Wall, with regimental crests and inscribed panels reset between brick piers.
Mr Hasan and members of his team installing panels on the renovated Memorial Wall, working from a wooden ladder with regimental crests visible at right.
Mr Hasan and members of his team installing panels on the renovated Memorial Wall, working from a wooden ladder with regimental crests visible at right.
Browse the gallery

Memorial Panels of Amara War Cemetery (British)

View photographs of every individual memorial panel, with a full-size lightbox and arrow-key navigation between adjacent panels.

Open gallery

Despite lacking the typical Commonwealth architecture and features, such as the Cross of Sacrifice, Stone of Remembrance, and standardized headstones or the gatehouse, Amara British Cemetery is a beautiful park with grass and mature palm trees and is, by far, the best maintained of all Commonwealth Cemeteries in Iraq.

Amara (Al-Amarah) on the Tigris became a principal medical and burial center for the Mesopotamian Expeditionary Force during WWI. From 1915, hospitals and depots clustered here, and the cemetery grew into the largest Commonwealth burial ground in southern Mesopotamia. The harsh soil conditions eventually destroyed the headstones, and in 1933 the names were inscribed on permanent screen walls.

Current Condition

The memorial wall was repaired by Mr Hasan the guardian in 2022. The Cemetery is the best maintained CWGC site in the country.

Amara War Cemetery, Iraq
Amara War Cemetery, Iraq

Notable Casualties

920 Corporal Sidney William Ware

920 Corporal Sidney William Ware

Corporal, 1st Bn. Seaforth Highlanders

VC

Victoria Cross

Son of William and Maud Ware, of 1, Pine Cottage, Sutton Veny, Warminster, Wilts. Born at Winterbourne, Whitechurch, Dorset. Aged 24.

An extract from "The London Gazette," No. 29765, dated 26th Sept., 1916, records the following: "For most conspicuous bravery. An order was given to withdraw to the cover of a communication trench. Corporal Ware, whose cool gallantry had been very marked during the advance, was one of the few men remaining unwounded. He picked up a wounded man and carried him some 200 yards to cover, and then returned for others, moving to and fro under very heavy fire for more than two hours until he had brought in all the wounded and was completely exhausted."

16th April 1916Plot VI. H. 1
CWGC RecordWW1 Cemeteries
Lieutenant-Commander Edgar Christopher Cookson

Lieutenant-Commander Edgar Christopher Cookson

Lieutenant-Commander, H. M. S. Clio, Royal Navy

VC

Victoria Cross, D. S. O., Mentioned in Despatches

Son of Capt. W. E. Cookson, R.N. Aged 31.

An extract from "The London Gazette," dated 21st May, 1915, records the following: "On the 28th September, 1915, the river gunboat 'Comet' had been ordered with other gunboats to examine and, if possible, destroy an obstruction placed across the river by the Turks. When the gunboats were approaching the obstruction a very heavy rifle and machine gun fire was opened on them from both banks. An attempt to sink the centre dhow of the obstruction by gunfire having failed, Lieutenant-Commander Cookson ordered the 'Comet' to be placed alongside, and himself jumped on to the dhow with an axe and tried to cut the wire hawsers connecting it with the two other craft forming the obstruction. He was immediately shot in several places and died within a very few minutes."

28th September 1915Plot IV. A. 5
CWGC RecordWW1 Cemeteries
Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delavel Henderson

Lieutenant Colonel Edward Elers Delavel Henderson

Lieutenant Colonel, Commanding 9th Bn. Royal Warwickshire Regiment

VC

Victoria Cross, Mentioned in Despatches

Husband of Mrs. M. Henderson, of "Tall Trees," Park Rd., Camberley, Surrey. Aged 38.

An extract from "The London Gazette," dated 8th June, 1917, records the following: "For most conspicuous bravery, leadership and personal example when in command of his battalion. Lt. Col. Henderson brought his battalion up to our two front-line trenches, which were under intense fire, and his battalion had suffered heavy casualties when the enemy made a heavy counter-attack, and succeeded in penetrating our line in several places, the situation becoming critical. Although shot through the arm, Lt. Col. Henderson jumped on to the parapet and advanced alone some distance in front of his battalion, cheering them on under the most intense fire over 500 yards of open ground. Again wounded, he nevertheless continued to lead his men on in the most gallant manner, finally capturing the position by a bayonet charge. He was again twice wounded, and died when he was eventually brought in."

25th January 1917Plot IX. F. 8
CWGC RecordWW1 Cemeteries
Major Sir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley

Major Sir Victor Alexander Haden Horsley

Major, Royal Army Medical Corps, Consulting Surgeon to the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force

Knight Bachelor, FRS, FRCS, Consulting Surgeon

Husband of Eldred Bramwell Horsley, of 25, Cavendish Square, London. Son of John Callcott Horsley, RA. Aged 59. A pioneering British neurosurgeon, knighted in 1902, who volunteered for military service at the outbreak of war despite his age and eminence.

Sir Victor Horsley was the founding father of modern neurosurgery, having performed the first operations to remove a spinal tumour and a cerebral tumour, and pioneered the surgical treatment of epilepsy. At the outbreak of the First World War he insisted on active service and was posted first to Egypt and then to Mesopotamia as Consulting Surgeon. Working in the appalling heat of the Tigris hospitals at Amara, where temperatures regularly exceeded 120°F, he refused to spare himself, operating on the wounded evacuated from the failed attempts to relieve Kut. He died of heatstroke at Amara on 16th July 1916, a loss described by The Lancet as "a national calamity".

16th July 1916Plot XXI. M. 4
CWGC RecordWikipediaPubMed ArticleTaylor & Francis OnlineBMJ Article

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Cemetery Plan

Amara War Cemetery Plan showing plot layout

Historical cemetery plan showing the layout of Amara War Cemetery on the Tigris River.

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Each film recorded at this location has its own page with the full footage, background notes and links to the surrounding cemeteries.

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Related Articles & Content

Amara - The Hospital Center of Mesopotamia

Visit

Details the role of Amara as the principal medical evacuation center during the Mesopotamian Campaign. Thousands of wounded were evacuated by river from battle sites throughout central Mesopotamia to Amara's base hospitals, making it the largest Commonwealth burial ground in southern Iraq.

Source: The Long, Long Trail

External Resources

Planning a visit: quick answers

Can you visit Commonwealth war cemeteries in Iraq?
Yes. Basra War Cemetery, the Basra Memorial to the Missing, Amara War Cemetery and Baghdad North Gate War Cemetery can all be visited, but access varies by site and usually needs advance arrangement, a local guide and, in some cases, permission from the authorities.
Do I need a visa or permits to visit?
Most visitors now travel on a visa on arrival or an e-visa, and some sites sit inside restricted or military-controlled areas where a separate permit or escort is required.
Are the cemeteries maintained?
Condition varies considerably. Some sites are cared for by local gardeners, while others remain damaged or overgrown, as documented in our field reporting.
Read the full guide to visiting Iraq's war cemeteries