We care for our cemeteries as a whole, so that conservation or
reconstruction can and often does involve teams from different
disciplines: horticulture, headstone carving and manufacture, and
the architectural maintenance teams. The cemeteries are the
sum of their individual parts and it is teamwork at all levels that
helps to maintain their overall appearance.
Even the most durable materials require maintenance - especially
when they are used in constructions that are nearly 100 years old.
Climate change, pollution and vandalism all take their toll on our
architecture. Conservation and maintenance is an ongoing
task. Structural renovation projects can involve anything
from reroofing buildings to devising new access or drainage
systems, while headstones, memorials and sculptures are kept in
good order by a regular cycle of maintenance. To ensure quality
materials and craftsmanship remain a priority, the Commission
employs specialist masons and runs its own workshops where many of
the replacement headstones are made.
In 2009 the Commission's architect, Barry Edwards, was asked to
construct a brand new cemetery at Fromelles to take the remains of
250 Australian and British servicemen who had lost their lives in
the Battles of Fromelles in July 1916.
Read more about
Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery