Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery

Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery
Gates at entrance to cemetery
Map
Details
Established1860 (1860)
Location
Pembroke Dock
CountryWales, UK
Coordinates51°41′50″N 4°56′01″W / 51.6971°N 4.9336°W / 51.6971; -4.9336
Owned byMinistry of Defence

Pembroke Dock Military Cemetery is a burial ground for military personnel. It is located in Llanion, Pembroke Dock in Wales. It is the only dedicated military cemetery in Wales.[1]

The cemetery is believed to have opened around 1860, the date on its earliest graves.[2] Forty Commonwealth service personnel who participated in the First World War and 33 from the Second World War are buried here.[3] The most recent burial was in 1955. A Cross of Sacrifice within the cemetery grounds is used as a focal point for commemoration events.

The cemetery was forced to close to the public in 2013, when a 20-foot-deep sinkhole opened up around the grave of Private Francis Ryan. The incident was believed to have been caused by water erosion of the limestone beneath Ryan's grave.[4] The cemetery partially reopened in January 2014 with the affected area fenced off, before clay-cement grouting was used to fill in the sinkhole, allowing the cemetery to fully reopen in April 2014.[3]

The cemetery is owned by the Ministry of Defence and managed by the Defence Infrastructure Organisation group.[5]

References

  1. ^ Moore, Sarah (8 November 2014). "Pembroke Dock cemetery for soldiers who died at home". BBC News Online. British Broadcasting Corporation.
  2. ^ Misstear, Rachael (18 November 2014). "Graves reveal Pembroke Dock's 200-year-old military history thanks to historian's research". WalesOnline. Media Wales Ltd.
  3. ^ a b "Military Cemetery is fully restored to former glory". Western Telegraph. Newsquest. 17 April 2014.
  4. ^ "Saving Private Ryan: Sinkhole Swallows Grave". Sky News. BSkyB. 28 February 2014. Archived from the original on 4 March 2014. Retrieved 5 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Collapsed WW1 graves at Llanion cemetery may be exhumed". BBC News Online. British Broadcasting Corporation. 22 January 2014.