Basra Memorial to the Missing
The Basra Memorial stands as a monument to the tens of thousands of men of the Mesopotamian campaign whose bodies were never found or identified. It spans the period from 1914 through 31 August 1921, thus including the later Arab Revolt (1919–20) casualties.
Quick Information
Shaiba Road, near Basra (moved from original Maqil location in 1997)
Commemorated
40,656 commemorated
WWI: 40,656 • WWII: 0
Names commemorated: over 40,000. Of these, Indian other ranks appear largely as numeric totals by regiment (estimated ~33,000+), while British and Indian officers are named individually
Status
Last Updated
25 October 2025
Historical Context
The Basra Memorial is a monument to one of the most brutal and forgotten campaigns of the First World War. The Mesopotamian Campaign was characterized by extreme heat, disease, logistical nightmares, and heavy casualties. Many men died not in battle but from cholera, dysentery, heatstroke, and other diseases.
The memorial was originally located at Maqil, near the Basra docks, where it was unveiled in the 1930s. As the port expanded, the memorial was carefully dismantled and moved to its current location on the Shaiba Road in 1997, preserving all original panels and inscriptions.
The memorial's timeframe extends beyond the November 1918 armistice to include casualties from the 1919–20 Iraqi Revolt, when British and Indian forces faced insurgency across central and southern Iraq.
Significance
The Basra Memorial is the third largest Commonwealth memorial in the world—greater than almost any in Europe. Only Tyne Cot and Ypres (Menin Gate) in Belgium are larger. Among the top five, it is the only one outside Europe, making it a global symbol of sacrifice. The memorial's significance is compounded by the fact that the vast majority of the missing are Indian soldiers, many of whom are recorded only as unit totals rather than individual names. This reflects both wartime record-keeping practices and colonial inequities that left thousands of Indian soldiers uncommemorated as individuals. Five Victoria Cross recipients are commemorated on the memorial, their names inscribed alongside tens of thousands of others who have no known grave.
Current Condition
The memorial is deteriorating. Decades of exposure to Iraq's harsh climate, combined with periods of conflict and neglect, have taken their toll. Panels are weathering, inscriptions are fading, and the structure requires urgent conservation. Despite this, the memorial remains a powerful and moving testament to the missing.
How They Came Here
Operations from 1914–1918
The Mesopotamian Campaign began with the capture of Basra in November 1914 and continued through the disasters of Ctesiphon and Kut, the 1917 advance to Baghdad, and subsequent operations northward. Men died in battles at Qurna, Shaiba, the Siege of Kut, and the relief attempts at Hanna, Dujaila, and Sannaiyat. Many perished from disease, drowning, or in the chaos of retreat.
The Siege and Fall of Kut (1915–16)
The five-month Siege of Kut and the surrender of nearly 13,000 men in April 1916 was a catastrophe. Thousands of prisoners died on forced marches or in captivity; many have no known grave and are commemorated here.
1917–18: Advance and Victory
After the recapture of Kut and the capture of Baghdad, the campaign continued northward toward Samarra, Tikrit, and eventually Mosul. Men continued to die from battle, disease, and accidents; many bodies were never recovered from the rivers or desert.
Post-1918: The Arab Revolt (1919–20)
Garrison, policing, logistical, river patrol, and frontier duties continued after the armistice. The 1919–20 Iraqi revolt saw widespread insurgency; British and Indian forces faced ambushes, sieges, and irregular warfare. Many casualties from this period are commemorated on the Basra Memorial.
Notable Burials
Lieutenant Commander Charles Henry Cowley
Lieutenant Commander, Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve
Took part in night river supply mission aboard SS Julnar, attempting to re-supply besieged Kut forces; came under heavy fire and was captured or killed
Victoria Cross recipient. Died attempting the daring Julnar mission to break through to Kut.
Lieutenant Commander Cowley was awarded the Victoria Cross for his heroic attempt to break through Turkish lines aboard SS Julnar to resupply the besieged garrison at Kut-al-Amara. On the night of 24-25 April 1916, Cowley and Lieutenant Firman commanded the Julnar in a desperate mission up the Tigris River. Despite facing intense fire from both banks, steel hawsers stretched across the river, and overwhelming odds, they pressed forward with extraordinary courage. The vessel was eventually disabled and captured. Cowley died either in the attack or shortly after in captivity. His body was never recovered.
Lieutenant Humphrey Osbaldston Brooke Firman
Lieutenant, Royal Navy
Co-commanded the SS Julnar attempt with Cowley to reach Kut; the ship was disabled, attacked at close range
Victoria Cross recipient. Killed alongside Cowley in the Julnar mission.
Lieutenant Firman shared command with Cowley on the SS Julnar's doomed relief mission to Kut. A young officer from a naval family, Firman volunteered for what was known to be an almost suicidal mission. The Julnar faced relentless fire, obstacles, and searchlights as they attempted to navigate upriver through Turkish positions. When the ship became entangled in cables and was disabled, both officers fought on until killed or captured. Firman's Victoria Cross citation noted his 'most conspicuous bravery' in the face of certain death. His body was never found.
Private James Henry Fynn
Private, 4th Battalion, South Wales Borderers
At Sannaiyat, repeatedly carried wounded men to safety under heavy fire, refusing to stop despite being shot in the arm; later mortally wounded
Victoria Cross recipient for extraordinary bravery under fire.
Private Fynn earned the Victoria Cross during the Second Battle of Sannaiyat on 9 April 1916, one of the failed attempts to relieve Kut. Under intense fire, Fynn repeatedly left cover to rescue wounded comrades, carrying them to safety despite being wounded himself. Shot through the arm, he refused medical treatment and continued his rescue work until he collapsed from blood loss. He survived this action but was killed in battle almost a year later during the British advance following the recapture of Kut. His heroism at Sannaiyat saved multiple lives and exemplified the selfless courage of the ordinary soldier.
Private David Finlay
Private, 2nd Battalion, Black Watch (Royal Highlanders)
Though his VC was gained earlier (France), died in Mesopotamia with no known grave
Victoria Cross recipient. Died in Mesopotamia far from where he earned his medal.
Private Finlay earned his Victoria Cross at Richebourg l'Avoué in France during May 1915 for heroic action under fire. Transferred to Mesopotamia, he died during the early stages of the campaign in January 1916. His body was never recovered from the battlefield. Finlay represents the thousands of men who fought in multiple theatres of war, only to fall in obscure actions far from where they had distinguished themselves. The circumstances of his death remain unclear, but he was likely killed during operations around the Tigris or in one of the countless skirmishes that characterized the grinding nature of the Mesopotamian Campaign.
Captain George Stuart Henderson
Captain, 2nd Battalion, Manchester Regiment
At Hillah, though wounded three times, led repeated bayonet charges, encouraged his men, and continued until killed
Victoria Cross recipient. Killed during the Iraqi Revolt of 1920.
Captain Henderson earned his Victoria Cross during the Iraqi Revolt of 1920, a post-WWI insurgency that cost Britain thousands of casualties. At Hillah, Henderson's company came under fierce attack. Despite being wounded three times, he refused to leave his men, repeatedly leading bayonet charges to drive back the insurgents. He moved among his soldiers, encouraging them and directing the defense even as his wounds worsened. Finally, leading one more charge, he was killed. His Victoria Cross was one of only a few awarded for actions during the revolt—a conflict that has been largely forgotten despite its brutality and significance. Henderson died trying to hold a crumbling empire together in the face of local resistance.
Visual Documentation
Still Photography
Video Photography
Basra Walk Through
Video documentation of cemetery sections and features
Basra Walk Through
Video documentation of cemetery sections and features
Basra Walk Through
Video documentation of cemetery sections and features
360° Panoramic Views
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Memorial Layout
Layout plan showing the arrangement of the 69 memorial panels around the central obelisk. The panels are numbered sequentially and contain the names of over 40,000 Commonwealth servicemen who died in Mesopotamia from 1914-1921 and have no known grave. The memorial's design features colonnades extending from the octagonal central structure.
Related Articles & Content
The Pirate of Basra
VisitThis article recounts the dramatic story of Lieutenant-Commander Charles Henry Cowley, a British river pilot and intelligence agent in Mesopotamia during WWI, who became known (by Turkish authorities) as the "Pirate of Basra." It details his daring service, including commanding the steamer Mejidieh in evacuations and supply missions, and his later leadership of the ill-fated Julnar expedition to relieve besieged forces at Kut. After the Julnar was disabled and attacked, Cowley was captured, and his fate remains uncertain—some claimed he was executed, others that he died in captivity or during escape. Though no grave was ever confirmed, Cowley is commemorated on the Basra Memorial alongside Lt. Humphrey Firman, another Julnar officer who received the Victoria Cross. The article places this gripping personal story within the larger Mesopotamian campaign, showing how river operations played a critical yet perilous role in the siege warfare of WWI Iraq.
Source: Western Front Association
The Campaign in Mesopotamia
VisitThe article outlines the British-Indian campaign in Mesopotamia during World War I: its origins in protecting oil interests, early advances toward Baghdad, and the disastrous Siege of Kut. It describes how British commanders adapted tactics under new leadership in 1917, leading to the capture of Baghdad. The harsh climate, disease, poor logistics, and stiff Ottoman resistance made the campaign extraordinarily costly in lives.
Source: The Long, Long Trail
110 Years On: Remembering the Kut Siege and the Armenian Genocide
VisitThe article explores the links between the 1916 Siege of Kut and the Armenian Genocide, showing how British and Indian POWs replaced Armenian deportees as forced labor on the Berlin-Baghdad railway. Drawing on prisoners' memoirs, it reveals how they witnessed the aftermath of the genocide during their marches through Anatolia. It contrasts shared suffering with the genocidal intent unique to the Armenian experience, highlighting overlapping yet distinct wartime atrocities.
Source: LSE International History Blog