Mosul War Cemetery - Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in Mosul (~350–400 km north of Baghdad), bordered by a major new highway and surrounded by small workshops and truck garages, Iraq

Mosul War Cemetery

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Mosul War Cemetery is the northernmost Commonwealth burial ground in Iraq, roughly 350 to 400 km north of Baghdad at 36.3350°N, 43.1189°E, hemmed in today by a major new highway and a ring of small workshops and truck garages.

It holds 336 recorded burials: approximately 191 from the First World War and approximately 145 from the Second World War, with casualties from Australia, Canada, India and the United Kingdom, together with a number of non war burials from the garrison years. The Second World War graves include both RAF and Army personnel. Many Indian other ranks here are unrecorded by name, reflecting the incomplete documentation of Indian Army casualties across the Mesopotamian Campaign.

The cemetery was established in the closing stages of the First World War, after the 1918 operations around Mosul that followed the capture of Baghdad, and remained in use through the interwar years and the Second World War PAIFORCE period. A CWGC contractor cleared the site to below grade in 2002. In 2023 the CWGC instructed the Erbil based Naqaa Al-Tabiaa Company to build a boundary wall, fit a gate and remove debris.

The October 2025 field survey recorded the outcome of that work. The ground had been cut down approximately 1.5 to 2 feet below its original level, exposing the pedestal of the Cross of Sacrifice beneath its foundation. Every grave marker and sub base had been removed, so individual graves will now have to be relocated with ground penetrating radar before any restoration. A plastic tool hut had been erected over Second World War graves in Plot 1, the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu memorials lay dismantled in the dirt, and a single broken headstone fragment survived on the site. The CWGC has not visited Iraq since 2018.

Quick Information

Location

Mosul (~350–400 km north of Baghdad), bordered by a major new highway and surrounded by small workshops and truck garages

Commemorated

336 commemorated

WWI: 191 • WWII: 145

WWI ≈191, WWII ≈145 (Australia, Canada, India, UK), plus some non-war burials. Many Indian other ranks are unrecorded by name. Includes RAF and Army WWII personnel.

Status

Cleared to below grade by CWGC contractor in 2002

Last Updated

1 August 2026

Key Takeaways

  • • Clearing work commissioned by the CWGC in 2023 using a local oil and gas service company with no experience of archaeological or sensitive sites has effectively destroyed the site, with soil removed to two feet in places.
  • • All grave markers and sub bases were removed, meaning individual graves will need to be identified using ground penetrating radar before any renovation.
  • • A plastic work hut has been installed over WW2 graves at Plot 1, and only one grave fragment survives.

Mosul War Cemetery, located approximately 350–400 km north of Baghdad, serves as the northernmost Commonwealth burial ground in Iraq. The cemetery contains burials from both World Wars, reflecting the city's strategic importance during the final WWI operations around Mosul after the capture of Baghdad, as well as garrison casualties from the WWII PAIFORCE period.

Mosul War Cemetery, historical photographs

Archive photographs of Mosul War Cemetery when it was still fully maintained, together with a view of the site in 1987. Images © CWGC unless otherwise stated.

The entrance to Mosul War Cemetery, looking down the path towards the Cross of Sacrifice, with the gate standing open and graffiti on the stone pier. © CWGC.
The entrance to Mosul War Cemetery, looking down the path towards the Cross of Sacrifice, with the gate standing open and graffiti on the stone pier. © CWGC.
An early view across the cemetery towards the entrance, showing temporary grave crosses and young planting. © CWGC.
An early view across the cemetery towards the entrance, showing temporary grave crosses and young planting. © CWGC.
Temporary crosses marking the graves in an early view of Mosul War Cemetery, with an Indian memorial visible beyond the entrance wall. © CWGC.
Temporary crosses marking the graves in an early view of Mosul War Cemetery, with an Indian memorial visible beyond the entrance wall. © CWGC.
A long line of permanent headstones set beneath young trees along the cemetery boundary. © CWGC.
A long line of permanent headstones set beneath young trees along the cemetery boundary. © CWGC.
Rows of headstones and planted roses beside the stone perimeter wall. © CWGC.
Rows of headstones and planted roses beside the stone perimeter wall. © CWGC.
A view along the boundary showing long rows of headstones and damage to the perimeter wall. © CWGC.
A view along the boundary showing long rows of headstones and damage to the perimeter wall. © CWGC.
Headstones arranged around one of the Indian memorial obelisks in the maintained cemetery. © CWGC.
Headstones arranged around one of the Indian memorial obelisks in the maintained cemetery. © CWGC.
One of the Indian memorial obelisks standing among young planting beside the cemetery wall. © CWGC.
One of the Indian memorial obelisks standing among young planting beside the cemetery wall. © CWGC.
A broad view across the maintained lawn towards the headstones, memorial and mature trees. © CWGC.
A broad view across the maintained lawn towards the headstones, memorial and mature trees. © CWGC.
Rows of headstones with rose borders leading towards the boundary wall and the small shelter building at the cemetery gate. © CWGC.
Rows of headstones with rose borders leading towards the boundary wall and the small shelter building at the cemetery gate. © CWGC.
A grass path between planted borders and headstones, shaded by mature trees along the perimeter wall. © CWGC.
A grass path between planted borders and headstones, shaded by mature trees along the perimeter wall. © CWGC.
Headstones of RAF and Army casualties in the foreground, with the grain silo and city buildings rising beyond the cemetery wall. © CWGC.
Headstones of RAF and Army casualties in the foreground, with the grain silo and city buildings rising beyond the cemetery wall. © CWGC.
A long row of headstones beneath the trees, with one of the Indian memorial obelisks visible at the left of the plot. © CWGC.
A long row of headstones beneath the trees, with one of the Indian memorial obelisks visible at the left of the plot. © CWGC.
A wider view across the cemetery lawn towards a row of headstones, with the outskirts of Mosul visible beyond the boundary wall. © CWGC.
A wider view across the cemetery lawn towards a row of headstones, with the outskirts of Mosul visible beyond the boundary wall. © CWGC.
The two Indian memorial obelisks, to the Muslim and to the Hindu and Sikh casualties, standing at the edge of newly worked ground. © CWGC.
The two Indian memorial obelisks, to the Muslim and to the Hindu and Sikh casualties, standing at the edge of newly worked ground. © CWGC.
The Hindu and Sikh memorial, inscribed "God is one, His is the victory" and "In memory of the brave Hindus & Sikhs who sacrificed their lives in the Great War for their King and their country", with a parallel inscription in Hindi on the base. © CWGC.
The Hindu and Sikh memorial, inscribed "God is one, His is the victory" and "In memory of the brave Hindus & Sikhs who sacrificed their lives in the Great War for their King and their country", with a parallel inscription in Hindi on the base. © CWGC.
The headstone of Major H. McNearnie, North Staffordshire Regiment, attached Intelligence Corps, who died on 21 April 1942 aged 40. © CWGC.
The headstone of Major H. McNearnie, North Staffordshire Regiment, attached Intelligence Corps, who died on 21 April 1942 aged 40. © CWGC.
An early view along the newly set headstones beside the perimeter wall, with young trees and a poplar marking the corner of the plot. © CWGC.
An early view along the newly set headstones beside the perimeter wall, with young trees and a poplar marking the corner of the plot. © CWGC.
One of the Indian memorial obelisks standing on its stepped base in the grass, with inscription panels on each face. © CWGC.
One of the Indian memorial obelisks standing on its stepped base in the grass, with inscription panels on each face. © CWGC.
Mosul War Cemetery in 1987, the headstones already gone and the Cross of Sacrifice standing on bare ground, with only scattered fragments of stone remaining.
Mosul War Cemetery in 1987, the headstones already gone and the Cross of Sacrifice standing on bare ground, with only scattered fragments of stone remaining.

Current condition (October 2025): In 2023 the CWGC instructed their local contractor Naqaa Al-Tabiaa Company, "NT Company", based in Erbil, to construct a wall around the site and install a gate as well as to "remove debris". NT Company is an unusual choice to work on a cemetery given its core business is working for oil and gas companies with explosive protection systems, how and why this qualified them to work on a site of this sensitivity remains an open question for the CWGC.

The "debris removal" by NT Company has left Mosul cemetery in a shocking condition, tantamount to the desecration of the site and criminal damage. I do not blame the company, the CWGC were not on site to manage them, having not visited Iraq since 2018, and they were doing what they do on any industrial site requiring clearing, they brought in a bulldozer and dug down deep enough so that nothing was left. This meant digging down 2-3 feet below grade in some places and exposing the pedestal of the Cross of Sacrifice to below the foundation.

The debris removal involved a bulldozer whose marks are still visible. The site was leveled to several feet below grade removing all grave markers and sub bases, something not even done at Basra where the subbases remain and only the grave markers themselves were removed. This makes any eventual renovation of the cemetery far harder as the individual graves will need to be identified using ground penetrating radar.

The cleared site, October 2025

Photographs taken during the October 2025 field visit to Mosul War Cemetery.

The cemetery today, levelled to bare earth with bulldozer tracks still visible across the ground. Every headstone and sub base has gone, along with the graves' surface markings.
The cemetery today, levelled to bare earth with bulldozer tracks still visible across the ground. Every headstone and sub base has gone, along with the graves' surface markings.
The new gate and perimeter wall built by the contractor, with cut vegetation and rubbish piled against the entrance path.
The new gate and perimeter wall built by the contractor, with cut vegetation and rubbish piled against the entrance path.
Access to the site required a ladder over the perimeter wall, the new gate being locked, with broken stone and rubble lying along the foot of the wall.
Access to the site required a ladder over the perimeter wall, the new gate being locked, with broken stone and rubble lying along the foot of the wall.

Using the approximate scale reference of the 6ft person in the picture below, the ground has been excavated to approximately 1.5-2 feet below the original level, exposing beneath the level of the foundation of the Cross of Sacrifice pedestal, an extraordinary amount of material to be removed.

The Cross of Sacrifice pedestal

The scale of the excavation is clearest at the Cross of Sacrifice, where the ground has been cut away beneath the foundation.

The base of the Cross of Sacrifice, with a six foot person for scale, showing the ground cut away to expose the pedestal below the level of its foundation.
The base of the Cross of Sacrifice, with a six foot person for scale, showing the ground cut away to expose the pedestal below the level of its foundation.
A closer view of the exposed pedestal and its stepped base, undercut by the clearance work, with the new boundary wall behind.
A closer view of the exposed pedestal and its stepped base, undercut by the clearance work, with the new boundary wall behind.
The Cross of Sacrifice pedestal standing on its exposed concrete foundation, the surrounding ground bulldozed away to leave the footing hanging clear of the earth.
The Cross of Sacrifice pedestal standing on its exposed concrete foundation, the surrounding ground bulldozed away to leave the footing hanging clear of the earth.

If this was not bad enough, a large plastic work hut containing a handful of spades and rakes has been installed over WW2 graves at Plot 1. As can be seen from the cemetery plan there is plenty of space without graves that could have been used for this, demonstrating the lack of sensitivity and oversight of the contractor.

Whilst great effort was made to remove so much of the soil, no effort was made to rehabilitate the site in any way, with the memorials to the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu casualties left lying in pieces in the dirt. Some resources could, one assumes, have been directed to rebuild these to provide at least some degree of recognition of the site as a cemetery and the men buried or commemorated there.

The Muslim, Sikh and Hindu memorials

The memorials to the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu casualties were left dismantled in the dirt, their carved and inscribed blocks stacked and scattered on the bare ground.

The dismantled memorials lying in a heap of blocks on the cleared ground beside the new perimeter wall, with the grain silo beyond.
The dismantled memorials lying in a heap of blocks on the cleared ground beside the new perimeter wall, with the grain silo beyond.
The shaft and base of the Hindu and Sikh memorial lying flat in the dirt, the English dedication and the Gurmukhi inscription to the Sikh fallen still clearly legible.
The shaft and base of the Hindu and Sikh memorial lying flat in the dirt, the English dedication and the Gurmukhi inscription to the Sikh fallen still clearly legible.
The panel reading "In memory of the brave Hindus and Sikhs who sacrificed their lives in the Great War for their King and their Country", face up in the dust.
The panel reading "In memory of the brave Hindus and Sikhs who sacrificed their lives in the Great War for their King and their Country", face up in the dust.
A block from the Muslim memorial carrying the inscription "God is one, His is the victory", tipped on its side among the other dismantled stones.
A block from the Muslim memorial carrying the inscription "God is one, His is the victory", tipped on its side among the other dismantled stones.
A broken inscription block, its lettering chipped away along the fractured edge where the stone has been struck and split.
A broken inscription block, its lettering chipped away along the fractured edge where the stone has been struck and split.
Rough concrete footings and shattered masonry left standing in the cleared ground, unrelated debris the contractor did not remove.
Rough concrete footings and shattered masonry left standing in the cleared ground, unrelated debris the contractor did not remove.

Only one sole fragment of grave remains. Sergeant Watkins body lies under the tool shed.

The only surviving grave fragment

A single broken headstone fragment remains on the site, that of Serjeant W. H. Price of the South Wales Borderers, whose body lies beneath the tool shed installed during the clearance work.

The sole surviving grave fragment at Mosul War Cemetery, propped against the base of the perimeter wall, carrying the South Wales Borderers badge and the inscription "3908229 Serjeant W. H. Price, South Wales Borderers".
The sole surviving grave fragment at Mosul War Cemetery, propped against the base of the perimeter wall, carrying the South Wales Borderers badge and the inscription "3908229 Serjeant W. H. Price, South Wales Borderers".
The CWGC casualty record for Serjeant Watkin Hugh Price, service number 3908229, 1st Bn. South Wales Borderers, died 29 April 1942 aged 31, commemorated at Mosul War Cemetery, grave reference 1. C. 10.
The CWGC casualty record for Serjeant Watkin Hugh Price, service number 3908229, 1st Bn. South Wales Borderers, died 29 April 1942 aged 31, commemorated at Mosul War Cemetery, grave reference 1. C. 10.

The contractor also left "debris" unrelated to the cemetery they were paid to remove behind, with several large pieces of concrete left in a pile and the bases of some concrete buildings also left in place.

The site has not been maintained and is gradually filling up with dead animals and detritus blown in.

Neglect since the clearance

No maintenance regime has followed the clearance work.

Rubbish, tumbleweed and broken tiling collecting along the inside of the perimeter wall.
Rubbish, tumbleweed and broken tiling collecting along the inside of the perimeter wall.
The carcass of a bird lying on the bare ground within the cemetery.
The carcass of a bird lying on the bare ground within the cemetery.
The remains of a dead animal on the gravel inside the cemetery wall, one of several found across the site.
The remains of a dead animal on the gravel inside the cemetery wall, one of several found across the site.
A dead bird decomposing at the foot of the perimeter wall among stones, discarded footwear and other rubbish blown into the cemetery.
A dead bird decomposing at the foot of the perimeter wall among stones, discarded footwear and other rubbish blown into the cemetery.
The remains of an animal on the bare, burnt ground inside the cemetery, with litter scattered around it.
The remains of an animal on the bare, burnt ground inside the cemetery, with litter scattered around it.

Current Condition

Current condition (October 2025): In 2023 the CWGC instructed their local contractor Naqaa Al-Tabiaa Company, "NT Company", based in Erbil, to construct a wall around the site and install a gate as well as to "remove debris". NT Company is an unusual choice to work on a cemetery given its core business is working for oil and gas companies with explosive protection systems, how and why this qualified them to work on a site of this sensitivity remains an open question for the CWGC.

The "debris removal" by NT Company has left Mosul cemetery in a shocking condition, tantamount to the desecration of the site and criminal damage. I do not blame the company, the CWGC were not on site to manage them, having not visited Iraq since 2018, and they were doing what they do on any industrial site requiring clearing, they brought in a bulldozer and dug down deep enough so that nothing was left. This meant digging down 2-3 feet below grade in some places and exposing the pedestal of the Cross of Sacrifice to below the foundation.

The debris removal involved a bulldozer whose marks are still visible. The site was leveled to several feet below grade removing all grave markers and sub bases, something not even done at Basra where the subbases remain and only the grave markers themselves were removed. This makes any eventual renovation of the cemetery far harder as the individual graves will need to be identified using ground penetrating radar.

Using the approximate scale reference of the 6ft person in the picture below, the ground has been excavated to approximately 1.5-2 feet below the original level, exposing beneath the level of the foundation of the Cross of Sacrifice pedestal, an extraordinary amount of material to be removed.

If this was not bad enough, a large plastic work hut containing a handful of spades and rakes has been installed over WW2 graves at Plot 1. As can be seen from the cemetery plan there is plenty of space without graves that could have been used for this, demonstrating the lack of sensitivity and oversight of the contractor.

Whilst great effort was made to remove so much of the soil, no effort was made to rehabilitate the site in any way, with the memorials to the Muslim, Sikh and Hindu casualties left lying in pieces in the dirt. Some resources could, one assumes, have been directed to rebuild these to provide at least some degree of recognition of the site as a cemetery and the men buried or commemorated there.

Only one sole fragment of grave remains. Sergeant Watkins body lies under the tool shed.

The contractor also left "debris" unrelated to the cemetery they were paid to remove behind, with several large pieces of concrete left in a pile and the bases of some concrete buildings also left in place.

The site has not been maintained and is gradually filling up with dead animals and detritus blown in.

Notable Casualties

George Evelyn Arthur Cheyne Monck-Mason

British Consul at Mosul, Iraq. On 4 April 1939, amid anti-British riots following King Ghazi's death, a mob stormed the British Consulate. Monck-Mason was killed in a brutal attack—contemporaneous press reports state he was felled with a pick-axe on the consulate balcony. Following the murder, the British Prime Minister announced a public funeral at Mosul with full honours, and martial law was declared in the city. He is buried in the "British Consul's Graves" section of Mosul War Cemetery.

c. 1886–1939
Time Magazine: Iraq - Young King
Watkins Hugh Price

Watkins Hugh Price

Sergeant, South Wales Borderers

The only surviving grave fragment at Mosul War Cemetery. Sergeant Price's body lies beneath the tool shed installed by the contractor during the 2023 clearance works.

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Mosul War Cemetery overview
Mosul War Cemetery

Cemetery Plan

Mosul War Cemetery Plan showing plot layout

Historical cemetery plan showing the layout of Mosul War Cemetery in northern Iraq.

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

Sources and archives

The records below are the primary published and archival sources for this cemetery and for the campaigns that produced its burials. All open on external sites.

Related Articles & Content

The Mesopotamian Campaign - Final Operations

Visit

Overview of the British campaign in Mesopotamia, including the final operations around Mosul in 1918 after the capture of Baghdad. Details the strategic importance of northern Iraq and the sustained British military presence through both World Wars.

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