HRH Duke Of Kent Unveils Information Panels at Portsmouth Naval Memorial
15 February 2013
His Royal Highness the Duke of Kent will be in Portsmouth and
Southampton on 19 February 2013 to unveil the latest information
panels put in place by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
The Duke, who is President of the Commission, will be visiting
the Portsmouth Naval Memorial and Southampton (Hollybrook)
Cemetery.
The panels at the two sites are among 500 that the Commission is
installing as part of a drive to provide more information for the
public during the centenary of the First World War. More than 100
of the panels are being erected at sites in the UK, to provide
information about the many thousands of First World War casualties,
from all parts of the Commonwealth, who are buried or commemorated
here.
Each of the panels carries information about the site of the
cemetery or memorial, and the reason why it is situated where it
is. But each panel also carries a QR (Quick Response) code
which when scanned with a smartphone provides access to further
information, including the personal stories of some of the
casualties buried or commemorated at the
location.
HRH The Duke of Kent said, "The Commonwealth War Graves
Commission is at the heart of events to mark the centenary of the
First World War. Our cemeteries and memorials will be the focus for
many acts of remembrance over the coming years and this initiative
will help inform visitors of the historical context which brought
these places into being, while putting a human face to the names of
those who died. It is a powerful means of combining traditional
methods with new technology to ensure we never forget."
The QR code on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial panel reveals the
story of David Bedell-Sivright, a Scottish Rugby international who
captained the British Lions and died at Gallipoli; and the QR code
at Hollybrook tells more about Lord Kitchener, who is commemorated
on the Memorial there. The Portsmouth QR code also makes clear the
great sacrifice the local community made in sending sailors to
fight in the two world wars.
For more details please contact: Peter Francis on 01628 507163
or 07766 255884 or by email peter.francis@cwgc.org
Ends.
Notes for editors:
1. The Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is responsible for marking
and maintaining the graves of those members of the Commonwealth
forces who died during the two world wars, for building and
maintaining memorials to the dead whose graves are unknown and for
providing records and registers of these 1.7 million burials and
commemorations found in most countries throughout the world. For
more information visit www.cwgc.org
2. The Portsmouth Naval Memorial
The Portsmouth Naval Memorial commemorates some 10,000 sailors of
the First World War, and 15,000 of the Second World War. The First
World War Memorial was designed by Sir Robert Lorimer and the
Second World War Extension by Sir Edward Maufe. It is located on
Southsea Common, overlooking the promenade. The Memorial underwent
a four-phase renovation, begun in 2009 and completed last year.
3. Southampton (Hollybrook) Cemetery
Southampton (Hollybrook) Cemetery contains 113 burials from the
First World War and 186 burials from the Second World War. It also
contains the Hollybrook Memorial which commemorates by name almost
1,900 servicemen and women of the Commonwealth land and air forces
whose graves are not known, many of whom were lost in transports or
other vessels torpedoed or mined in home waters. It also bears the
names of those who were lost or buried at sea, or who died at home
but whose bodies could not be recovered for burial.