Khanaqin War Cemetery Walkthrough
Khanaqin War Cemetery • 31 March 2026 • 1 min 57 sec
Full walkthrough film of Khanaqin War Cemetery, Iraq, recorded on site during the Commonwealth war graves field survey. The footage records the condition of the headstones, memorial panels, grounds and boundary walls.
The film was recorded at Khanaqin War Cemetery as part of the independent field survey of Commonwealth war graves in Iraq. It is published here as a permanent visual record of the site for families, researchers and journalists who cannot travel to Iraq.
Full transcript of Khanaqin War Cemetery Walkthrough
This film was recorded on site without spoken narration. The transcript below is a descriptive, timecoded account of what the camera records in each section of the film, compiled from the field survey notes for this site.
- 00:00
Entrance and first view of the site. The film opens at Khanaqin War Cemetery, Khanaqin, near the Iran-Iraq border. Khanaqin, on the Diyala River near the Persian (Iran) frontier, became a key wartime camp and transit hub in 1942 when the Polish Anders' Army arrived from the Soviet Union via Persia.
- 00:23
Walk along the burial rows. The camera moves through the site, past the grave rows that hold 542 recorded burials, 102 from the First World War and 440 from the Second World War. Located about 160–180 km north-east of Baghdad, close to the Iranian border and the Persian Corridor lines of communication, Khanaqin War Cemetery expanded rapidly in 1942 when it hosted reception and transit camps for Polish forces and civilians evacuated from the USSR.
- 00:47
Close views of headstones and inscriptions. Closer views follow of individual headstones, panel faces and inscriptions, recording how legible the names and regimental badges still are. Casualties include those from WWI operations in Persia, WWII logistics operations, and Polish refugees who died after evacuation from the Soviet Union.
- 01:10
Grounds, paths, planting and boundary walls. The camera records the paths, planting, boundary walls and general upkeep of the grounds. Recorded condition at the time of the survey: Abandoned. Current condition (November 2025): The CWGC abandoned the site in 1965 and erected a memorial at Baghdad (North Gate).
- 01:34
Closing wide view before the film ends. The film closes on a wide view of the site. The cemetery's diverse nationalities reflect the unique convergence of forces at this remote location in WW2: **Polish Anders' Army:** Formed from former prisoners and deportees in the USSR, they were released, regrouped, and evacuated south via the Caspian to Iran, then onward into Iraq for rest, re-equipping, and staging.