War Graves Week comes to Newark Cemetery with a tour telling of the fascinating stories of those buried there

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) will be bringing War Graves Week to Newark and offering free tours at the cemetery on Saturday, May 28.

War Graves Week is an initiative aimed at encouraging people from the local community to come together and discover the World War heritage on their doorstep — learning about the stories of those commemorated by the CWGC in Newark and the skills, dedication and expertise of those CWGC staff and volunteers who work to keep their memory alive.

The free guided tours will take place at 2pm and 3pm at the London Road Cemetery and will give people the chance to discover the remarkable stories of the men and women of the Commonwealth forces that died in the first and second world wars who are buried in their community. War Graves Week provides a unique chance for Newark residents to reconnect with their local history.

More than 530 casualties from the two world wars are buried in the cemetery.

The ages of the casualties at the site range from just 16 up to 55 years old, and include the story of Keith Rollason Couzin-Wood. Cadet Couzin-Wood was an Air Cadet who was killed in a training accident on his first Air Experience Flight, when the aircraft he was in crashed near RAF Balderton.

Another story is that of Group Captain Reginald Vere Massey Odbert, a former Station Commander of RAF Syerston who had been capped for Ireland’s rugby team, and Starsy Sierzant Mieczyslaw Edmund Popek, a flying ace who had participated in the defence of the High Peak in 1942.

On the tours, people will learn about the Ordinary People, Extraordinary Times project — the focus of this year’s War Graves Week. Alongside the frontline armed forces, the CWGC will be celebrating the value those who served during the World Wars brought to key sectors such as healthcare, logistics, infrastructure and communications.

To learn more about specific stories of those who served, and the parallels with today’s global Britain which they helped to create, please visit: www.cwgc.org/wargravesweek

The tours will be led by local resident, Megan Kelleher, who is a public engagement coordinator for the CWGC. She said: “We’re delighted that the CWGC’s War Graves Week will be taking place in Newark.

"For us at the commission, remembrance and the sharing and caring for world war heritage is a daily duty. Behind every name on a war grave or memorial in Newark a human story waiting to be discovered and War Graves Week is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

“I’d encourage everyone in Newark to join one of the tours to reconnect with their local history to learn about the courageous ordinary people from our community who made the ultimate sacrifice for our freedom.”

The CWGC is encouraging the people of Newark to seek out the stories in their local area and book onto a free tour this War Graves Week. To book a tour, visit www.cwgc.org/tours