The Tribune

THE Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) yesterday toured and commended the state of the Nassau War Cemetery on Farrington Road.

The CWGC’s aim is to maintain the cemeteries of men and women from the Commonwealth who served their countries in the First and Second World Wars.

Victoria Wallace, CWGC director general, said it is wonderful to be in the Bahamas to meet the team who look after the beautiful cemetery.

She said: “We try to make sure that all around the world we keep to similar standards and all of the cemeteries look cared for. It is fantastic to see the care.

“There is some really important heritage here that we need to maintain and to me that is the important thing is that we try to be everywhere.

“I’m delighted the guys here do a terrific job and if you arrive at any one of these cemeteries and your relative is buried here you would stop and say that looks cared for.”

Ms Wallace said she was looking forward to meeting government representatives to discuss the sacrifice Bahamian men and women made fighting in the wars. She said: “There are war cemeteries in 153 countries and territories around the world.

“The men who served for example in the First World War we have just had the centenary. (They were) buried in Belgium and they fought in the Battle of Passchendaele so there are guys who are commemorated in our cemeteries and I wanted the government to be confident that those men are honoured just in the same way as every other man and women who fought in those two conflicts.”