Aldershot Military Cemetery
Aldershot Military Cemetery is a burial ground for military personnel, or ex-military personnel and their families, located in Aldershot Military Town, Hampshire. The cemetery was created in 1850s by the Royal Engineers during the building of Aldershot military camp. Nearly 17,000 service personnel of nine nations are laid to rest in the cemetery. There are 692 First World War graves; the earliest bears the date 5 August 1914, and the last 11 August 1921 (many of these graves are in plot AF). The 129 Second World War graves are in groups in various plots, the largest group in plot A containing 86 graves. The cemetery remains in active use as a military cemetery run by Ministry of Defence, with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission maintaining the graves of the fallen for the First and Second World Wars. As of 2003 it is a Grade II* listed building. History In the early 1850s the British Army chose Aldershot as the location for a permanent training base. In November 1853 the Royal Engineers built two tented areas known then as "North Camp" and "South Camp". Although not officially enclosed until 1865, the land where the Cemetery is today had been laid out as a burial ground in the early days of the Army Camp and it is thought to have been used for burials as early as 1855. As the Cemetery is included on some of the early plans of the Camp, it is likely that it was designed and laid out by the Royal Engineers. The early Cemetery covered approximately the north-east half of the modern site on steeply sloping ground. Initially located away from the main camps, the cemetery was bounded by Thorn Hill to the north, Round Hill to the east, and Peaked Hill to the south-west. To the west of the cemetery a small wooden chapel was constructed. It was not until 1875 that a central record of burials was created by the Royal Engineers (earlier records had been split amongst various camp churches). The Protestant portion of the cemetery was consecrated by Samuel Wilberforce, the then Bishop of Winchester, on 1 November 1870. An extension was opened in 1879 which added land to the south-east to extend the grounds as far as Ordnance Road, and to the south-west onto Peaked Hill. The age of many of the mature trees suggests that the whole of the Cemetery grounds were planted at this time. The present brick-built Memorial Chapel replaced a wooden one that had burned down in 1879. The chapel's architect is not known but it was probably a member of the Royal Engineers who were responsible for the cemetery at the time it was built. The chapel is of relatively plain design, mostly of red brick but with black and white brick dressing, and a slate roof. The entrance porch is believed to be a later addition and has attractive wrought-iron gates. Many of the early gravestones are of the Gothic cross design and date to the