Ramleh Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery
Encyclopedia
Ramleh Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is for personnel of both World Wars, and the period of the British mandate of Palestine located in the town of Ramla
(Ramla, Ramleh) in Israel
.
The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom
in perpetuity by the municipality of Ramla in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire
in the defence and liberation of Palestine
during the war. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth
forces in Israel.
on 1 November 1917. Field ambulances, and later casualty clearing stations
, were posted at Ramleh and Lydda from December 1917 onwards. The cemetery was begun by the medical units, but some graves were brought in later from the battlefields and from Latron, Sarona and Wilhema Military and Indian Cemeteries. During the Second World War, this cemetery was used by the Ramla Royal Air Force Station and by various Commonwealth hospitals posted in turn to the area for varying periods.
Within Ramleh War Cemetery will be found the Ramleh 1914-18 Memorial, erected in 1961 to commemorate more than 300 Commonwealth, German and Turkish servicemen of the First World War who lie buried in cemeteries elsewhere in Israel where their graves could no longer be maintained. Only 74 of the casualties are named. The Ramleh 1939-45 Memorial, commemorating 28 Jewish and non Arab servicemen of the Second World War, and six non-war casualties of the Palestine Police Force, who lie buried in cemeteries elsewhere in Israel where their graves could not be maintained in perpetuity. The vast majority of the 525 deaths from after World War II are from attacks mounted by the Irgun
and Lehi
.
in the general direction of Jerusalem. The location is close to the site of the Battle of Junction Station
(13 to 14 November 1917). The cemetery was in use throughout the period of the British mandate of Palestine including the Second World War up to the start of May 1948. British burials of the few troops who stayed until end of June 1948 in order to finish the evacuation are buried in Khayat Beach CWGC cemetery, Haifa
.
MC
(14 December 1882 – 17 November 1917), British Liberal
politician and soldier, who was the second son of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
and Hannah de Rothschild
, and brother of the writer Lady Sybil Grant
.
Among those buried in Ramleh are the two British sergeants, Mervyn Paice and Clifford Martin
, who were hanged by the Irgun
in 1947 in response to the death sentences carried out on three of their members by the British Mandate authorities.
In 2010, the grave of a British soldier named Harry Potter was listed on the Ramle’s tourism website after becoming a popular tourist spot following the worldwide fame of the fictional wizard with the same name
.
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing is for personnel of both World Wars, and the period of the British mandate of Palestine located in the town of Ramla
Ramla
Ramla , is a city in central Israel. The city is predominantly Jewish with a significant Arab minority. Ramla was founded circa 705–715 AD by the Umayyad Caliph Suleiman ibn Abed al-Malik after the Arab conquest of the region...
(Ramla, Ramleh) in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
.
The cemetery grounds were assigned to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
in perpetuity by the municipality of Ramla in recognition of the sacrifices made by the British Empire
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
in the defence and liberation of Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
during the war. It is the largest cemetery for Commonwealth
Commonwealth of Nations
The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...
forces in Israel.
History
The cemetery dates from the First World War, when Ramleh was occupied by the 1st Australian Light Horse Brigade1st Light Horse Brigade
The 1st Light Horse Brigade was a mounted infantry brigade of the First Australian Imperial Force which served in the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. The brigade first saw action during the Dardanelles Campaign in the Battle of Gallipoli. After being withdrawn to Egypt in February 1916 they...
on 1 November 1917. Field ambulances, and later casualty clearing stations
Casualty Clearing Station
A Casualty Clearing Station is the name used by the British Army and the armies of other Commonwealth nations to describe a medical facility behind the front lines that is used to treat wounded soldiers. A CCS would usually be located just outside of the range of enemy artillery and often near...
, were posted at Ramleh and Lydda from December 1917 onwards. The cemetery was begun by the medical units, but some graves were brought in later from the battlefields and from Latron, Sarona and Wilhema Military and Indian Cemeteries. During the Second World War, this cemetery was used by the Ramla Royal Air Force Station and by various Commonwealth hospitals posted in turn to the area for varying periods.
Within Ramleh War Cemetery will be found the Ramleh 1914-18 Memorial, erected in 1961 to commemorate more than 300 Commonwealth, German and Turkish servicemen of the First World War who lie buried in cemeteries elsewhere in Israel where their graves could no longer be maintained. Only 74 of the casualties are named. The Ramleh 1939-45 Memorial, commemorating 28 Jewish and non Arab servicemen of the Second World War, and six non-war casualties of the Palestine Police Force, who lie buried in cemeteries elsewhere in Israel where their graves could not be maintained in perpetuity. The vast majority of the 525 deaths from after World War II are from attacks mounted by the Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
and Lehi
Lehi (group)
Lehi , commonly referred to in English as the Stern Group or Stern Gang, was a militant Zionist group founded by Avraham Stern in the British Mandate of Palestine...
.
Location
The cemetery lies on a plain looking towards the hills of JudeaJudea
Judea or Judæa was the name of the mountainous southern part of the historic Land of Israel from the 8th century BCE to the 2nd century CE, when Roman Judea was renamed Syria Palaestina following the Jewish Bar Kokhba revolt.-Etymology:The...
in the general direction of Jerusalem. The location is close to the site of the Battle of Junction Station
Battle of Mughar Ridge
The Battle of El Mughar Ridge , took place on 13 November 1917 during the Sinai and Palestine Campaign of the First World War...
(13 to 14 November 1917). The cemetery was in use throughout the period of the British mandate of Palestine including the Second World War up to the start of May 1948. British burials of the few troops who stayed until end of June 1948 in order to finish the evacuation are buried in Khayat Beach CWGC cemetery, Haifa
Haifa
Haifa is the largest city in northern Israel, and the third-largest city in the country, with a population of over 268,000. Another 300,000 people live in towns directly adjacent to the city including the cities of the Krayot, as well as, Tirat Carmel, Daliyat al-Karmel and Nesher...
.
Noted burials
One notable grave from the Woeld War I period is that of Captain Neil PrimroseNeil James Archibald Primrose
Captain The Honourable Neil James Archibald Primrose PC, MC , was a British Liberal politician and soldier. The second son of Prime Minister Lord Rosebery, he represented Wisbech in parliament from 1910 to 1917 and served as Under-Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs in 1915 and as...
MC
Military Cross
The Military Cross is the third-level military decoration awarded to officers and other ranks of the British Armed Forces; and formerly also to officers of other Commonwealth countries....
(14 December 1882 – 17 November 1917), British Liberal
Liberal Party (UK)
The Liberal Party was one of the two major political parties of the United Kingdom during the 19th and early 20th centuries. It was a third party of negligible importance throughout the latter half of the 20th Century, before merging with the Social Democratic Party in 1988 to form the present day...
politician and soldier, who was the second son of Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery
Archibald Philip Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery, KG, PC was a British Liberal statesman and Prime Minister. Between the death of his father, in 1851, and the death of his grandfather, the 4th Earl, in 1868, he was known by the courtesy title of Lord Dalmeny.Rosebery was a Liberal Imperialist who...
and Hannah de Rothschild
Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery
Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery was the daughter of Mayer de Rothschild and his wife Juliana, née Cohen...
, and brother of the writer Lady Sybil Grant
Sybil Grant
Lady Sybil Myra Caroline Grant was a British writer, designer and artist. She was the eldest child of Archibald "Archie" Primrose, 5th Earl of Rosebery and his wife Hannah...
.
Among those buried in Ramleh are the two British sergeants, Mervyn Paice and Clifford Martin
The Sergeants affair
The Sergeants affair was an incident that took place in Mandate Palestine in July 1947 in which the Jewish underground group the Irgun kidnapped two British army Intelligence Corps NCOs, Sergeant Clifford Martin and Sergeant Mervyn Paice, and threatened to kill them if the death sentences passed...
, who were hanged by the Irgun
Irgun
The Irgun , or Irgun Zevai Leumi to give it its full title , was a Zionist paramilitary group that operated in Mandate Palestine between 1931 and 1948. It was an offshoot of the earlier and larger Jewish paramilitary organization haHaganah...
in 1947 in response to the death sentences carried out on three of their members by the British Mandate authorities.
In 2010, the grave of a British soldier named Harry Potter was listed on the Ramle’s tourism website after becoming a popular tourist spot following the worldwide fame of the fictional wizard with the same name
Harry Potter
Harry Potter is a series of seven fantasy novels written by the British author J. K. Rowling. The books chronicle the adventures of the adolescent wizard Harry Potter and his best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, all of whom are students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry...
.