Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery

Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery

Gates at entrance to cemetery
Details
Established 1860 (1860)
Location Pembroke Dock
Country Wales, UK
Coordinates 51°41′50″N 4°56′01″W / 51.6971°N 4.9336°W / 51.6971; -4.9336Coordinates: 51°41′50″N 4°56′01″W / 51.6971°N 4.9336°W / 51.6971; -4.9336
Owned by Ministry of Defence

Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery is a burial ground for military personnel, or ex-military personnel. It is located in Llanion, Pembroke Dock in Wales. It holds the distinction of being the only dedicated military cemetery in Wales.[1]

The cemetery is believed to have opened around 1860, which is when the earliest graves in the cemetery date back to.[2] 40 Commonwealth service personnel that participated in the First World War and 33 that participated in the Second World War are buried in the cemetery.[3] The most recent burial was in 1955. A Cross of Sacrifice is present within the cemetery grounds, and this is used as a focal point for commemoration events.

The cemetery was forced to close to the public in 2013, when a 20-foot-deep sinkhole opened up around the grave of Private Francis Ryan. The incident was believed to have been caused by water erosion of the limestone beneath Ryan's grave. [4] The cemetery partially reopened in January 2014 with the affected area fenced off, before clay-cement grouting was used to fill in the sinkhole, allowing the cemetery to fully reopen in April 2014.[3]

The cemetery is owned by the Ministry of Defence and managed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation group.[5]

References

  1. ↑ Moore, Sarah (2014-11-08). "Pembroke Dock cemetery for soldiers who died at home". BBC News Online (British Broadcasting Corporation).
  2. ↑ Misstear, Rachael (2014-11-18). "Graves reveal Pembroke Dock's 200-year-old military history thanks to historian's research". WalesOnline (Media Wales Ltd.).
  3. 1 2 "Military Cemetery is fully restored to former glory". Western Telegraph (Newsquest). 2014-04-17.
  4. ↑ "Saving Private Ryan: Sinkhole Swallows Grave". Sky News (BSkyB). 2014-02-28.
  5. ↑ "Collapsed WW1 graves at Llanion cemetery may be exhumed". BBC News Online (British Broadcasting Corporation). 2014-01-22.

External Sources

Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery page on Commonwealth War Graves Commission website

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