Defence chiefs in the United Kingdom are facing accusations of "shocking disregard" for the nation's war dead after the destruction of nearly 800 gravestones and memorial panels belonging to Commonwealth soldiers who died in Iraq during World War I and II. Families of the fallen claim the Ministry of Defence (MoD) has attempted to conceal the truth for over two decades.
In 2003, the British Army removed dozens of gravestones and 80 large slate panels engraved with the names of the deceased from the Basra War Cemetery in southern Iraq. This action was taken amid concerns that the markers could be vandalized or destroyed by local populations. The remains of the soldiers were left buried but unmarked.
Within approximately 18 months of their removal, almost all of the gravestones and panels were deliberately pulverized into gravel and subsequently used to fill a drainage ditch at a different military base in southern Iraq. The work was reportedly overseen by the 64 Works Group, Royal Engineers, and appears to have proceeded with the assent of a padre.
Details of this destruction only recently came to light following the publication of responses to Freedom of Information (FoI) requests made by Ben Soppitt, whose grandfather, Gunner Joseph Soppitt, is among those buried in the Basra War Cemetery. The MoD was compelled to release the information after the Information Commissioner intervened.
The FoI disclosures reveal that the gravestones were crushed and used for a soakaway at the British Army's Shaibah Logistics Base, about nine miles southwest of Basra, in April 2005. This incident occurred despite the presence of the Basra Memorial, located just 30 kilometers away, which remained untouched.
Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, a reporter observed local militias using gravestones in the Basra War Cemetery for target practice, which provided a rationale for the army's removal of the markers, though similar actions were not taken at other Iraqi cemeteries. Footage from the time shows an unnamed officer stating that the gravestones and tablets bearing the names of the fallen would be stored for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) to restore the cemetery in the future.
Former chief of the defence staff, Field Marshal Lord Richards of Herstmonceux, expressed deep sadness, acknowledging that with hindsight, there is no excuse for the events. He suggested that officers at the time, operating in a dangerous environment, believed they were acting appropriately. However, Lord Dannatt, former chief of the general staff, proposed that the MoD should either reinstate the graves or erect a new memorial with all the names and an explanation of the events.
Ben Soppitt traveled to Basra last year to place a new granite gravestone at his grandfather's grave and held a service attended by the Archbishop of Basra and local residents. Gunner Joseph Soppitt died of dysentery in 1941 and is buried alongside soldiers from India, Poland, and other Commonwealth nations. Mr. Soppitt has initiated a High Court application for Judicial Review to hold the MoD accountable.
Colonel Richard Kemp, a former commander in the British Army, voiced his dismay at the "callous disdain for the memory of the fallen," noting that 130 of the affected soldiers were from a predecessor regiment of his own. He criticized the MoD's evasiveness and suggested that cooperation with the Iraqi government could ensure the upkeep of the site, even if vandalism occurred, arguing that the permanent deletion of memory is a greater offense than destruction.
The MoD has stated it cannot comment on the matter for legal reasons.