One of the most important aspects of our work is ensuring that
the names of all Commonwealth Servicemen and women are
legible. A damaged or eroded panel or headstone, a name that
cannot be read is unacceptable, which is why we have a rolling
programme of inspections of headstones and memorials.
In most cases, where the stone is sound but the inscription
eroded or damaged it is both economical and environmentally sound
practice to re-engrave the headstone. Where this is not
possible, or the stone is damaged beyond repair, we replace
headstones and panels.
The majority of headstones are engraved at our French
workshop outside Arras. A skilled technician using a machine
called an Incisograph can engrave up to 10 headstones a day.
Read more about illegible headstone
inscriptions and our programme of re-engraving.