HC Deb 03 June 1919 vol 116 cc1856-7W
Lieut.-Colonel SPENDER CLAY

asked the Secretary of State for War whether the opinion of the Overseas Dominions has been asked regarding the principle that there shall be equal treatment of the graves of all British soldiers; whether they have expressed approval of this principle; whether, owing to the small amount of space between each grave, it is impossible to allow the relatives of the fallen to erect their own memorials; and whether, if this were permitted, it would lead to an invidious distinction between the graves of the rich and the poor?

Mr. CHURCHILL

The answer to the first two parts of the question is in the affirmative. Among those whom Sir Frederick Kenyon consulted before presenting his Report to the Imperial War Graves Commission were representatives of the Dominion Forces in the field, and their opinion was preponderatingly in favour of the principle of equality of treatment. With regard to the third part of the question, there are undoubtedly serious practical difficulties involved in allowing any wide departure from the scheme of uniform memorials, owing to the conditions under which the bodies of our dead are buried in France and elsewhere. In all cases the graves are close together, and in many instances two, three, four, or even more, bodies are buried in a single grave. Differentiation of treatment would in many cases be impracticable, and in all cases would result in incongruity, which the Commission believe would be unacceptable to any relatives when realised. The consideration mentioned in the fourth part of the question is one which has had great weight with the Commission in deciding on a scheme of equal treatment for all graves. They feel that if personal memorials are allowed to be put up by those who could afford the expense, the cemeteries would lose their impressive character as symbols of the comradeship of all ranks and of the common sacrifice made by rich and poor alike. They believe that this expression of the sense of comradeship appeals strongly to officers and men who have served.