CWGC War Memorial: KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL

Visiting Information

The cemetery is constructed approximately 4 metres below the level of the main road, with the only means of access being down two flights of steps. The design of this site therefore makes wheelchair access impossible.

Local Information

Kirkee, also known as Khadki, is a Military Cantonment adjoining the large university town of Poona on the Plateau above Bombay. It can be reached by train from Bombay to Poona or by long distance taxi service from Dada Taxi Stand, Bombay. There are direct flights from Bombay, Madras and Delhi but these tend to be irregular. Taxis and Motor Rickshaws are available from Poona Railway Station. To reach Kirkee War Cemetery, in which the memorial stands, one must ask for Mula Road along which the cemetery is located. One way is to cross the Sangam Bridge and follow the road which has the River Mula on its right. The CWGC road direction board is on a crossroads with the Bombay Poona Road. The cemetery is situated on the right hand side and backs onto the river. From the railway station follow the way via Juna Bazar, Sangam Bridge, past the Engineering college, over Wakdewadi Bridge, past Bajaj Kamal Nayan Udyan and onto Bhayawadi and Mula Roads. From the airport, one reaches Ahmadnagar Road which joins onto Nagar Road followed by Deccan College Road; over the Holkar Bridge and, keeping left at the junction with Elphinson road, one enters Mula Road. The cemetery is a short distance away on the left hand side of the road. The Commonwealth War Graves road direction sign is situated at the junctions of Elphinson Road and Mula Road, but it should be noted that this is often hidden from view by Market Stalls.

Historical Information

The KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL was built to commemorate more than 1800 servicemen and women who died in India during the First World War, who were buried in civil and cantonment cemeteries in India and Pakistan* whose graves were considered to be unmaintainable after India gained its independence in 1947. For several years now, the Commission has been working to reinstate the original graves of a large number of these individuals and to date, the official commemoration of over 1000 individuals have been reverted back to their original burial location. However, their names will remain on the KIRKEE 1914-1918 MEMORIAL for the foreseeable future. This total also includes the names of 629 servicemen whose remains were brought from Bombay (Sewri) Cemetery for re-interment here in 1962, and are buried in the grassed area between the Memorial and the Cross of Sacrifice. On the same memorial are commemorated almost 200 East and West African servicemen who died in non-operational zones in India in the Second World War, and whose graves either cannot be located or are so situated that maintenance is not possible. The memorial stands within KIRKEE WAR CEMETERY, which was created to receive Second World War graves from the western and central parts of India where their permanent maintenance could not be assured. The cemetery contains 1668 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. * Ahmadabad Cantonment Cemetery; Ahmednagar Government Cemetery; Ajmer New Cemetery; Ajmer Roman Catholic Cemetery; Alibag Cemetery; Ambala Cantonment Cemetery; Amritsar Cantonment Cemetery; Bakloh Cemetery; Belgaum Government Cemetery; Bhusawal Cemetery; Bina Cemetery; Bombay (Sewri) Cemetery; Dagshai Cemetery; Dalhousie Civil Cemetery; Dalhousie Military Cemetery; Darekasa Cemetery; Deesa Cantonment Cemetery; Deolali Government Cemetery; Deoli Cemetery; Dhamangaon Cemetery; Erinpura New Cemetery; Ferozepore Military Cemetery; Hoshiarpur (Christ Church) Churchyard; Igatpuri Cemetery; Indore New Cemetery; Jubbulpore Cantonment Cemetery; Jullundur Cantonment Cemetery; Jutogh New Cemetery; Kalka Cemetery; Kamptee Cemetery; Kamptee Roman Catholic Cemetery; Kasauli Cemetery; Khandwa Cemetery; Kirkee New Cemetery; Mhow New Cemetery; Mount Abu Cemetery; Nagpur (Talki) Cemetery; Nasirabad Government Cemetery; Neemuch Cemetery; Nowgong No 60 New Cemetery; Pachmari Cemetery; Palampur Churchyard; Poona (St Sepulchre's) Cemetery; Purandhar Cemetery; Ratlan (BB&CI Railway) European Cemetery; Sabathu Cemetery; Sanjauli Cemetery, Simla; Simla Old Cemetery; Solon Cemetery.