Ma'Asker Al Raschid (formerly Hinaidi RAF Cemetery) - Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Rasheed / Hinaidi barracks area, south-eastern outskirts of Baghdad. The cemetery sits right next to the busy Muasker Al Rashid Road and beside a large domestic rubbish tip. The area is undergoing rapid development, with a major medical centre being built opposite., Iraq

Ma'Asker Al Raschid (formerly Hinaidi RAF Cemetery)

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The Ma'Asker Al Rachid Cemetery (often referred to as Hinaidi or Rasheed) near Baghdad contains the graves of Commonwealth servicemen who died in Iraq during both World Wars, as well as during the interwar RAF presence in Mesopotamia. It reflects the evolution of British military and air power in Iraq from 1918 through to the mid-20th century.

Quick Information

Location

Rasheed / Hinaidi barracks area, south-eastern outskirts of Baghdad. The cemetery sits right next to the busy Muasker Al Rashid Road and beside a large domestic rubbish tip. The area is undergoing rapid development, with a major medical centre being built opposite.

Commemorated

300 commemorated

WWI: 0 • WWII: 0

300 burials, First World War hospital deaths, inter-war RAF personnel and families, and Second World War RAF, Army and Indian Forces casualties

Status

Derelict

Last Updated

25 October 2025

Key Takeaways

  • • It is unclear what the CWGC role is here, the CWGC website states zero burials.
  • • A boundary wall was implemented by the MOD in 2021 but was poorly built.
  • • Plans were made to clear the site of gravestones as at Mosul, and as at Mosul there are no plans to replace them. What the point of doing this is not at all clear.

Further research on Ma'Asker al Raschid

Steve Buster Johnson, author and historian
Steve Buster Johnson, Author, Historian and Aviation enthusiast
Adam McCrae, former Defence Attaché in Baghdad
Adam McCrae, former Defence Attaché, Baghdad

Ma'Asker has been researched to a very detailed degree by Steve Buster Johnson, who was also instrumental in working with the then Defence Attaché at the British Embassy in Baghdad, Adam McCrae, in getting the boundary wall built.

The British Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen laying a wreath at the Ma'Asker Al Raschid Cemetery
The British Ambassador to Iraq Stephen Hitchen laying a wreath at the MaAsker Al Raschid Cemetery
Visit Steve's Website

Ma'Asker Al Rachid Cemetery served as the principal burial ground for British military personnel in the Baghdad area from WWI through WWII. The cemetery evolved alongside RAF Hinaidi, which became the central British air base in Iraq during the interwar period. It contains burials from three distinct periods: WWI hospital deaths after 1917, interwar RAF personnel and their families, and WWII casualties from the 1941 Anglo-Iraqi War and PAIFORCE operations.

Current Condition

Current condition (October 2025): The site and its history are already very well documented on Steve Buster Johnson's website, and there is little change from the last work done on the site to add a wall in 2021. However, given the wall was only built four years ago, the poor quality of the construction is clear and it is already in danger of falling down in places, notably the right hand corner facing the gate, and the sign has been vandalised.

There are many graves remaining relatively intact although not in their original position and not upright, and many more fragments. The base of Sir Gilbert Clayton's grave is the only grave still in its original place, and Phoebe Marks' grave is the only one intact. It seems that even if honourable service to your country is insufficient to secure commemoration for your sacrifice, fame, rank and influence do not matter either.

The guardian lives nearby and is a likeable and most helpful gentleman who appeared very quickly once we arrived on site. Despite the site being only six miles from the British Embassy in Baghdad it has been long abandoned, it is not marked on Google Maps (a correction has been submitted) and there is almost no information on the CWGC site. The work of Steve Buster Johnson in partnership with the former UK Defence Attaché to Iraq, Brigadier Adam McRae MBE, resulted in a perimeter wall being erected in 2021. A service was subsequently held, attended by Air Marshal Martin Sampson CBE, DSO, Defence Senior Advisor to the Middle East.

Notable Casualties

Brigadier-General Sir Gilbert Falkingham Clayton, KCMG, KBE, CB

Brigadier-General Sir Gilbert Falkingham Clayton, KCMG, KBE, CB

Brigadier-General Sir Gilbert Falkingham Clayton (1875–1929) was a British soldier, diplomat, and colonial administrator whose career helped shape Britain's Middle Eastern policy after World War I. Born on the Isle of Wight, he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery in 1895 and served in Egypt and the Sudan before becoming a leading intelligence officer in Cairo during the war. As Director of Military Intelligence and later Chief Political Officer to the Egyptian Expeditionary Force, he played a key role in coordinating Arab affairs and post-Ottoman administration across Egypt, Palestine, and Arabia. After the war, Clayton served as Chief Secretary and Acting High Commissioner in Palestine and later negotiated on Britain's behalf with leaders such as Ibn Saud. In 1928 he was appointed High Commissioner for Iraq, where he worked to define the young nation's relationship with Britain. He died suddenly of a heart attack in Baghdad on 11 September 1929, aged 54, and was buried there. His career embodied the fusion of military strategy and diplomacy that defined British rule in the modern Middle East.

Died 11 September 1929, aged 54

WikipediaNew York Times ObituaryHistorical Photos
Phoebe Marks

Phoebe Marks

Phoebe Marks was born on the 6th November 1928 the daughter of a civilian electrician Leonard Marks and his wife Marie. Phoebe died at only eight months old on the 17th July 1929. Sadly her father was subsequently shot by a local employee and died 12th September 1934 and was buried 20 yards from his daughter. Her grave is of particular note to visitors, with the British Ambassador to Iraq laying a wreath there in 2023.

Died 17 July 1929, aged 8 months

Father and Daughter Story

Visual Documentation

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Video Photography

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Archive Photographs

Historical photographs of Ma'asker al Raschid (Hinaidi) RAF Cemetery from the years when the site was still maintained, showing the headstones upright in ordered rows beneath the palms. Copyright CWGC.

Ma'asker al Raschid (Hinaidi) RAF Cemetery in its maintained years, the graves laid out in even rows with kerbed plots and date palms along the boundary. Copyright CWGC.
Ma'asker al Raschid (Hinaidi) RAF Cemetery in its maintained years, the graves laid out in even rows with kerbed plots and date palms along the boundary. Copyright CWGC.
The Cross of Sacrifice standing among the headstones, with mature trees giving shade across the burial ground. Copyright CWGC.
The Cross of Sacrifice standing among the headstones, with mature trees giving shade across the burial ground. Copyright CWGC.
Looking down a grave row towards the perimeter, the headstone of 335488 Leading Aircraftman William Cecil Clarence Self, Iraq Aircraft Depot, Royal Air Force, born 7 June 1904, died 21 July 1927 at Hinaidi, in the foreground. Copyright CWGC.
Looking down a grave row towards the perimeter, the headstone of 335488 Leading Aircraftman William Cecil Clarence Self, Iraq Aircraft Depot, Royal Air Force, born 7 June 1904, died 21 July 1927 at Hinaidi, in the foreground. Copyright CWGC.
Headstones of RAF and Army personnel beneath the date palms, including Corporal Thomas Pearce, RAFMS, died 7 August 1927. Copyright CWGC.
Headstones of RAF and Army personnel beneath the date palms, including Corporal Thomas Pearce, RAFMS, died 7 August 1927. Copyright CWGC.
Rows of upright headstones with service badges and kerbs intact, the cemetery wall and palm groves visible beyond. Copyright CWGC.
Rows of upright headstones with service badges and kerbs intact, the cemetery wall and palm groves visible beyond. Copyright CWGC.

From the collection of Steve Buster Johnson

These photographs come from the website of Steve Buster Johnson and are but a small selection of the images he has collected on RAF Hinaidi and its cemetery. The full collection, together with his research on the station and the men and women buried here, can be seen at stevebusterjohnson.com/raf-hinaidi.

"British Cemetery, Hinaidi", a postcard view of the burial ground in 1923, the earliest graves marked with wooden crosses and temporary headstones, with an aircraft propeller set up as a marker over an airman's grave.
"British Cemetery, Hinaidi", a postcard view of the burial ground in 1923, the earliest graves marked with wooden crosses and temporary headstones, with an aircraft propeller set up as a marker over an airman's grave.
The cemetery in 1929, by then laid out with permanent headstones in ordered rows, grassed and kerbed plots, roses along the paths and date palms behind.
The cemetery in 1929, by then laid out with permanent headstones in ordered rows, grassed and kerbed plots, roses along the paths and date palms behind.
Five airmen at the grave of 326407 Leading Aircraftman William Lewis Bartlett, 6 Armoured Car Company, Royal Air Force, aged 22, died 14 December 1924 at Hinaidi. To the right stands the headstone of Flying Officer Ellis Reid, No. 1 (F) Squadron, RAF, born 23 September 1902, killed in an aeroplane accident 12 November 1924.
Five airmen at the grave of 326407 Leading Aircraftman William Lewis Bartlett, 6 Armoured Car Company, Royal Air Force, aged 22, died 14 December 1924 at Hinaidi. To the right stands the headstone of Flying Officer Ellis Reid, No. 1 (F) Squadron, RAF, born 23 September 1902, killed in an aeroplane accident 12 November 1924.
The funeral procession of Aircraftman 1st Class David Arthur Henry Oldfield entering the cemetery, the bearer party carrying the Union Flag draped coffin past a lined route of RAF personnel.
The funeral procession of Aircraftman 1st Class David Arthur Henry Oldfield entering the cemetery, the bearer party carrying the Union Flag draped coffin past a lined route of RAF personnel.
The grave of 365635 Aircraftman 1st Class David Arthur Henry Oldfield, Aircraft Depot, Royal Air Force, born 16 July 1908, died 20 August 1930 at Hinaidi, with the headstones of Phoebe Marks and Sergeant George Garling nearby.
The grave of 365635 Aircraftman 1st Class David Arthur Henry Oldfield, Aircraft Depot, Royal Air Force, born 16 July 1908, died 20 August 1930 at Hinaidi, with the headstones of Phoebe Marks and Sergeant George Garling nearby.
The grave of 563922 Leading Aircraftman R. Raw, Aircraft Depot, Royal Air Force, born 4 September 1913, died 2 June 1935 at Hinaidi, photographed soon after the headstone was erected.
The grave of 563922 Leading Aircraftman R. Raw, Aircraft Depot, Royal Air Force, born 4 September 1913, died 2 June 1935 at Hinaidi, photographed soon after the headstone was erected.

Photographic Record

Photographs taken at Ma'asker al Raschid (Hinaidi) Cemetery recording the surviving headstones and the condition of the site.

The entrance to Ma'asker al Raschid, the CWGC gate and boundary wall with the Commission's bilingual plaque beside it.
The entrance to Ma'asker al Raschid, the CWGC gate and boundary wall with the Commission's bilingual plaque beside it.
The burial ground looking towards the perimeter wall, the grave rows marked only by kerb stones and scattered fragments across bare, weed-covered ground.
The burial ground looking towards the perimeter wall, the grave rows marked only by kerb stones and scattered fragments across bare, weed-covered ground.
The remains of the grave of Sir Gilbert Falkingham Clayton, High Commissioner in Iraq, 1 May 1929 to 3 September 1929, who unveiled the Basra Memorial in March 1929 and died in office in Baghdad. All that survives is the inscribed stone resting on its plinth in the open ground.
The remains of the grave of Sir Gilbert Falkingham Clayton, High Commissioner in Iraq, 1 May 1929 to 3 September 1929, who unveiled the Basra Memorial in March 1929 and died in office in Baghdad. All that survives is the inscribed stone resting on its plinth in the open ground.
The Clayton grave in its wider setting at Ma'asker al Raschid, the inscribed stone at left and a stripped adjacent grave slab at right, with the modern brick perimeter wall beyond.
The Clayton grave in its wider setting at Ma'asker al Raschid, the inscribed stone at left and a stripped adjacent grave slab at right, with the modern brick perimeter wall beyond.
Major H. C. Pulley OBE, 2nd Bombay Pioneers, died 8 March 1925 aged 42. The marble headstone lies flat among dry scrub.
Major H. C. Pulley OBE, 2nd Bombay Pioneers, died 8 March 1925 aged 42. The marble headstone lies flat among dry scrub.
4524967 Corporal J. V. Taylor, West Yorkshire Regiment, 20 November 1925 aged 23. The headstone lies face-up and detached from its grave.
4524967 Corporal J. V. Taylor, West Yorkshire Regiment, 20 November 1925 aged 23. The headstone lies face-up and detached from its grave.
3rd Dragoon Guards, attached Iraq Levies, born 11 January 1897, killed in action June 1924 at Beni Banok, Kurdistan, reinterred at Hinaidi in August 1924. The stone is overgrown and the name eroded away.
3rd Dragoon Guards, attached Iraq Levies, born 11 January 1897, killed in action June 1924 at Beni Banok, Kurdistan, reinterred at Hinaidi in August 1924. The stone is overgrown and the name eroded away.
Flying Officer Myles Birkett Foster Watson, Royal Air Force, born 2 July 1902, killed in an aeroplane accident in July 1924. The headstone is broken across its face.
Flying Officer Myles Birkett Foster Watson, Royal Air Force, born 2 July 1902, killed in an aeroplane accident in July 1924. The headstone is broken across its face.
Aircraftman 2nd Class W. McCormack, 6 Squadron Royal Air Force, died 23 July 1922 aged 20. The stone is cracked from top to bottom and lies flat on the ground.
Aircraftman 2nd Class W. McCormack, 6 Squadron Royal Air Force, died 23 July 1922 aged 20. The stone is cracked from top to bottom and lies flat on the ground.
A Royal Air Force headstone worn almost blank, only "aged 21, died 6 July 1924" still legible.
A Royal Air Force headstone worn almost blank, only "aged 21, died 6 July 1924" still legible.
In memory of Corporal Arthur, No. 55 Squadron, Royal Air Force, born 8 November 1896, died 12 December 1933, Hinaidi. The headstone lies flat and broken on the open ground.
In memory of Corporal Arthur, No. 55 Squadron, Royal Air Force, born 8 November 1896, died 12 December 1933, Hinaidi. The headstone lies flat and broken on the open ground.
365716 Leading Aircraftman Edward Denham, 70 (B.T.) Squadron, Royal Air Force, born 17 September 1908, died 29 March 1932, Hinaidi. The stone is cracked through and separated from its base.
365716 Leading Aircraftman Edward Denham, 70 (B.T.) Squadron, Royal Air Force, born 17 September 1908, died 29 March 1932, Hinaidi. The stone is cracked through and separated from its base.
363355 Leading Aircraftman Kenneth Horace Breach, No. 70 (B) Squadron, Royal Air Force, born 29 December 1907, died 25 December 1929, Hinaidi. The headstone is fractured and the kerb has been displaced.
363355 Leading Aircraftman Kenneth Horace Breach, No. 70 (B) Squadron, Royal Air Force, born 29 December 1907, died 25 December 1929, Hinaidi. The headstone is fractured and the kerb has been displaced.
Flight Lieutenant John Marsh Burd MC, 30 (B) Squadron, Royal Air Force, Mosul, born 10 September 1896, died 12 October 1930, Hinaidi. The headstone lies broken on cracked ground.
Flight Lieutenant John Marsh Burd MC, 30 (B) Squadron, Royal Air Force, Mosul, born 10 September 1896, died 12 October 1930, Hinaidi. The headstone lies broken on cracked ground.
Michael Hugh Wallace, The Highland Light Infantry, attached Iraq Levies, born 6 June 1901, died 2 August 1929, Hinaidi. The stone rests on a shattered kerb with exposed reinforcing bar.
Michael Hugh Wallace, The Highland Light Infantry, attached Iraq Levies, born 6 June 1901, died 2 August 1929, Hinaidi. The stone rests on a shattered kerb with exposed reinforcing bar.
In memory of Phoebe Marks, born 6 November 1928, died 17 July 1929, Hinaidi. The headstone of an infant, lying flat on the ground beside its dislodged base.
In memory of Phoebe Marks, born 6 November 1928, died 17 July 1929, Hinaidi. The headstone of an infant, lying flat on the ground beside its dislodged base.
The Phoebe Marks headstone re-set upright on its base, with the cemetery's bare ground and boundary wall behind.
The Phoebe Marks headstone re-set upright on its base, with the cemetery's bare ground and boundary wall behind.
Local custodians beside the re-set headstone of Phoebe Marks, the cleared and largely empty burial ground stretching to the perimeter wall.
Local custodians beside the re-set headstone of Phoebe Marks, the cleared and largely empty burial ground stretching to the perimeter wall.
2317244 Lance Corporal John Herbert Heath, No. 2 Wireless, Royal Signals, died 1930, Baghdad. The headstone stands cracked and eroded amid scattered fragments of other graves.
2317244 Lance Corporal John Herbert Heath, No. 2 Wireless, Royal Signals, died 1930, Baghdad. The headstone stands cracked and eroded amid scattered fragments of other graves.
The author with a local guide at Ma'asker al Raschid at sunset, at the close of the photographic survey.
The author with a local guide at Ma'asker al Raschid at sunset, at the close of the photographic survey.

Cemetery Plan

Ma'Asker Al Rachid Cemetery Plan showing plot layout with Gardener's Quarter and Cultiva area

Cemetery plan showing the layout of Ma'Asker Al Rachid (Hinaidi/Rasheed) Cemetery with burial plots organized in numbered and lettered sections. The plan includes the Gardener's Quarter and Cultiva area.

Watch the films from this site

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

Browse all cemetery films from the Iraq field survey

Special Note

Steve Buster Johnson

Special mention must be made of the work of Steve Buster Johnson in researching and securing the Ma'Asker site. If it were not for his persistence and diligent work almost nothing would be known about this site and it would be at great risk of being completely lost. Steve has compiled a list of all the burials as well as historic and contemporary photographs of the site carefully referenced and annotated. Steve's work resulted in his discovering the missing 300th burial at Ma'asker - John Maxton Ramsay 6 Armoured Car Company RAF, a casualty missed by the CWGC. It is strongly advised to visit his website to learn more.

Visit Steve Buster Johnson's websiteOld Photos of Ma'asker Cemetery and GravesList of Burials at Ma'askerRediscovery of missing casualty buried at Ma'asker - John Maxton Ramsay 6 Armoured Car Company RAF
Funeral of Sir Gilbert Clayton - High Commissioner to Iraq in 1929 courtesy of Sian Sumners via Steve Buster Johnson website.

Funeral of Sir Gilbert Clayton - High Commissioner to Iraq in 1929 courtesy of Sian Sumners via Steve Buster Johnson website.

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