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The Cross of Sacrifice or War Cross was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield

Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a United Kingdom architect, garden designer and author....
 for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is a joint governmental organisation responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of members of the Commonwealth of Nations' military forces that died in the two world wars, to build memorials to those with no known grave, and to keep records of the war dead....
 and is the focal point of the numerous Commonwealth
Commonwealth

The England noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common-wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth," which is "well-being." The term literally meant "common well-being." Thus commonwealth originally meant a state or nation-state governed for the common good as opposed to an autho...
 war cemeteries
Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which death body and cremation are burial. The term cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground....
 throughout the world. It is a four point limestone
Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
 Latin cross. On the face of the cross is a bronze
Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other chemical element such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon....
 sword
Sword

A sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. The word sword comes from the Old English language wikt:sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse sver? Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Dutch langua...
, blade down. It is usually mounted on an octagonal base. The Cross represents the faith of the majority of the dead and the sword represents the military character of the cemetery.

lass="link1" onMouseover='showByLink("m4518428",this)' onMouseout='hide("m4518428")'href="http://www.absoluteastronomy.com/topics/West_Flanders">West Flanders
West Flanders

West Flanders is the westernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium of Flemish Region, in Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands, the Flemish Region province of East Flanders and the Wallonia province of Hainaut in Belgium, on France, and the North Sea....
, Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....

Lone U.S.






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The Cross of Sacrifice or War Cross was designed by Sir Reginald Blomfield
Reginald Blomfield

Sir Reginald Theodore Blomfield was a United Kingdom architect, garden designer and author....
 for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is a joint governmental organisation responsible for marking and maintaining the graves of members of the Commonwealth of Nations' military forces that died in the two world wars, to build memorials to those with no known grave, and to keep records of the war dead....
 and is the focal point of the numerous Commonwealth
Commonwealth

The England noun commonwealth dates from the fifteenth century. The original phrase "common-wealth" or "the common weal" comes from the old meaning of "wealth," which is "well-being." The term literally meant "common well-being." Thus commonwealth originally meant a state or nation-state governed for the common good as opposed to an autho...
 war cemeteries
Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which death body and cremation are burial. The term cemetery implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground....
 throughout the world. It is a four point limestone
Limestone

File:Limestone Formation In Waitomo.jpgLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the mineral calcite . The deposition of limestone strata is often a by-product and indicator of biological activity in the geology record....
 Latin cross. On the face of the cross is a bronze
Bronze

Bronze is a metal alloy consisting primarily of copper, usually with tin as the main additive, but sometimes with other chemical element such as phosphorus, manganese, aluminium, or silicon....
 sword
Sword

A sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used as a cutting, thrusting, and clubbing weapon in many civilizations throughout the world. The word sword comes from the Old English language wikt:sweord, cognate to Old High German swert, Middle Dutch swaert, Old Norse sver? Old Frisian and Old Saxon swerd and Dutch langua...
, blade down. It is usually mounted on an octagonal base. The Cross represents the faith of the majority of the dead and the sword represents the military character of the cemetery.

Commonwealth cemetery installations


These cemeteries around the world have a Cross of Sacrifice incorporated in their layouts:

  • Artillery Wood Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery, Boezinge
    Boezinge

    Boezinge is a village north of the town of Ieper in Belgium, on the N369 road in the direction of Diksmuide.Artillery Wood, near the village, is a World War I cemetery....
    , Ieper
    Ypres

    Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
    , West Flanders
    West Flanders

    West Flanders is the westernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium of Flemish Region, in Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands, the Flemish Region province of East Flanders and the Wallonia province of Hainaut in Belgium, on France, and the North Sea....
    , Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
  • Bayeux War Cemetery, Bayeux, France
  • Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery
    Bény-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery

    The B?ny-sur-Mer Canadian War Cemetery is a cemetery containing predominantly Canada soldiers killed during the early stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War....
    , near Caen
    Caen

    Caen is a commune in France in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados Departments of France and the capital of the Basse-Normandie r?gion in France....
     in lower Normandy
    Normandy

    Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Blauwepoort Farm Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
    Blauwepoort Farm Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

    Blauwepoort Farm is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I located near Ypres in Belgium on the Western Front ....
    , Ieper
    Ypres

    Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
    , West Flanders
    West Flanders

    West Flanders is the westernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium of Flemish Region, in Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands, the Flemish Region province of East Flanders and the Wallonia province of Hainaut in Belgium, on France, and the North Sea....
    , Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
  • Brandhoek Military Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
    Brandhoek Military Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

    Brandhoek Military Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I located near Ypres in Belgium on the Western Front ....
    , Ieper
    Ypres

    Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
    , West Flanders
    West Flanders

    West Flanders is the westernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium of Flemish Region, in Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands, the Flemish Region province of East Flanders and the Wallonia province of Hainaut in Belgium, on France, and the North Sea....
    , Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
  • Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery
    Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery

    The Bretteville-sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery is a Cemetery containing predominantly Canada soldiers killed during the later stages of the Battle of Normandy in the Second World War....
    , near Caen
    Caen

    Caen is a commune in France in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the Calvados Departments of France and the capital of the Basse-Normandie r?gion in France....
     and Falaise
    Falaise

    Falaise is the name of several commune in France in France:* Falaise, Ardennes,* Falaise, Calvados** The Falaise pocket was the site of a battle in World War II....
     in lower Normandy
    Normandy

    Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is situated along the coast of France south of the English Channel between Brittany and Picardy and comprises territory in northern France and the Channel Islands....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Canadian National Vimy Memorial, Givenchy-en-Gohelle
    Givenchy-en-Gohelle

    Givenchy-en-Gohelle is a Communes of France in the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France....
    , near Vimy
    Vimy

    Vimy is a communes of the Pas-de-Calais d?partement and chief town of a cantons of France in the Pas-de-Calais departments of France in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais region of France....
    , Pas-de-Calais
    Pas-de-Calais

    Pas-de-Calais is a Departments of France in northern France. Its name is the French language equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Delville Wood Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
    Delville Wood Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

    Delville Wood Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery located near Longueval, France and the third largest in the Somme battlefield area....
    , Longueval
    Longueval

    Longueval is a communes of the Somme d?partement in the Somme d?partement in France in the Picardie region of France....
    , Somme
    Somme

    The Somme is a departments of France of France, located in the north of the country and named after the Somme River. It is part of the Picardie regions of France....
    , France
    France

    France , officially the French Republic , is a country whose Metropolitan France is located in Western Europe and that also comprises various Overseas departments and territories of France....
  • Sai Wan War Cemetery
    Sai Wan War Cemetery

    Sai Wan War Cemetery is a military cemetery located in Chai Wan, Hong Kong. The cemetery interred the war dead of the Second World War, mostly soldiers from the Commonwealth of Nations, and Allied Forces during the Battle of Hong Kong....
    , in Hong Kong
    Hong Kong

    Hong Kong , officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, is a territory located in Southern China in East Asia, bordering the province of Guangdong to the north and facing the South China Sea to the east, west and south....
  • Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing, Ieper
    Ypres

    Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
    ,
West Flanders
West Flanders

West Flanders is the westernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium of Flemish Region, in Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands, the Flemish Region province of East Flanders and the Wallonia province of Hainaut in Belgium, on France, and the North Sea....
, Belgium
Belgium

* A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....
  • Wagga Wagga War Cemetery, Wagga Wagga, New South Wales
    New South Wales

    New South Wales is Australia's oldest and most populous States and territories of Australia, located in the south-east of the country, north of Victoria and south of Queensland....
    , Australia
    Australia

    Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the southern hemisphere comprising the Australia of the world's smallest continent, the major island of Tasmania, and numerous list of islands of Australia in the Indian Ocean and Pacific Oceans....
  • Ypres Reservoir Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery
    Ypres Reservoir Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery

    Ypres Reservoir Cemetery is a Commonwealth War Graves Commission burial ground for the dead of World War I located in the Ypres Salient on the Western Front ....
    , Ieper
    Ypres

    Ypres , Ieper , or Ypern is a Belgium Municipalities in Belgium located in the Flemish Region Provinces of Belgium of West Flanders....
    , West Flanders
    West Flanders

    West Flanders is the westernmost Provinces of regions in Belgium of Flemish Region, in Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands, the Flemish Region province of East Flanders and the Wallonia province of Hainaut in Belgium, on France, and the North Sea....
    , Belgium
    Belgium

    * A small German-speaking Community of Belgium exists in eastern Wallonia. Belgium's linguistic diversity and related political and cultural conflicts are reflected in the history of Belgium and a complex Communities and regions of Belgium....


Lone U.S. installation


Only one Cross of Sacrifice is in the United States
United States

The United States of America is a Federal government constitutional republic comprising U.S. state and a federal district. The country is situated mostly in central North America, where its Contiguous United States and Washington, D.C., the Capital districts and territories, lie between the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Oceans, Borders of the U...
. It is located in Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery, in Arlington, Virginia is a United States National Cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, The Robert E....
 by the graves of United States citizens who enlisted in the Canadian military
Canadian Forces

The Canadian Forces , officially the Canadian Armed Forces , are the unified armed forces of Canada, as constituted by the National Defence Act, which states: "The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces." This singular institution consists of thre...
, and lost their lives during World War I
World War I

World War I, or the First World War , was a global military conflict which involved the Great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War I and the Central Powers....
. Proposed in 1925 by Canadian Prime Minister MacKenzie King, it was in part due to Canada entering the war long before the United States, and many Americans enlisting in Canada to join the fighting in Europe. On June 12, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge
Calvin Coolidge

John Calvin Coolidge, Jr. was the List of Presidents of the United States President of the United States . A Republican Party lawyer from Vermont, Coolidge worked his way up the ladder of Massachusetts state politics, eventually becoming governor of that state....
 approved the request, and on Armistice Day
Armistice Day

Armistice Day is the anniversary of the symbolic end of World War I on 11 November 1918. It commemorates the Armistice with Germany signed between the Allies of World War I and Germany at Rethondes, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front , which took effect at eleven o'clock in the morning — the "eleventh hour...
 1927 the monument near the Memorial Amphitheater was dedicated.

The inscription on the cross reaffirms the sentiment expressed by Prime Minister King regarding Americans who served in the Canadian Forces. Following World War II
World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a Participants in World War II, including all of the great powers, organised into two opposing military alliances: the Allies of World War II and the Axis powers....
 and the Korean War
Korean War

The Korean War refers to a period of military conflict between North Korea and South Korea regimes, with major hostilities lasting from June 25, 1950 until the armistice signed on July 27, 1953....
, similar inscriptions on other faces of the monument were dedicated to the Americans who served in those conflicts.

External links