CWGC War Memorial: KARACHI 1914-1918 WAR MEMORIAL

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Local Information

Karachi War Cemetery lies a few miles from the centre of Karachi, to the north-east on National Stadium Road and can be reached by taxi. It is now surrounded by the naval colony and is adjacent to the new naval cemetery. The easiest way to reach the War Cemetery from the city centre is to go the the National Stadium and follow the road leading to Dalmia in which the airport is situated. From the airport follow the reverse road from Dalmia to the National Stadium and the Cemetery is situated to the left hand side of National Stadium Road. Owing to constant problems the direction signs have been removed but attempts will be made at resiting them The Memorial is located at the rear of the cemetery opposite the entrance feature. The names commemorated on the memorial are of those who served in garrisons and died in Pakistan (formerly India) during the 1914-1918 War and who lie buried in civil and cantonment cemeteries (excluding those graves lying west of the river Indus).

Historical Information

Karachi, formerly the capital of the Republic of Pakistan, is the country's only sea port and the main gateway for its trade. It is also the maritime terminus of the Pakistan Railway and its airport, situated on one of the trunk air routes of the world, gives it considerable additional importance. The city lies at the extreme western end of the delta of the Indus, on a backwater protected by a high rocky headland. To the north is dry, hilly country, while to the south creeks and mangrove swamps stretch to the sea. The War Cemetery is about 8 kilometres from the centre of Karachi on Stadium Road and is easily reached by taxi. It was created by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission to receive the graves from a number of civil and cantonment cemeteries scattered through the north of Pakistan and the tribal areas, where their permanent maintenance was not possible. The imposing entrance of honey-coloured stone, quarried at Jungshai, near Hyderabad, is one part of a dual memorial the other part being in Delhi, to 25,000 men of the army and air forces of undivided India who died during the 1939-1945 War while on service in nonoperational zones. The cemeteries in which they lie buried, and which have since been found impossible to maintain adequately, are as follows : ABBOTTABAD CEMETERY, ATTOCK NEW CEMETERY, CAMPBELLPORE CEMETERY, GHARIAL CEMETERY, GHORA DAKKA NEW CEMETERY, HYDERABAD NEW CEMETERY (SIND), JHELUM CEMETERY, KALABAGH CEMETERY, KULDANA NEW CEMETERY, LAHORE CANTONMENT CEMETERY, LAHORE (TAXALI GATE) CEMETERY, LYALLPUR EUROPEAN CEMETERY, MARI-INDUS RAILWAY CEMETERY, MIANWALI CEMETERY, MULTAN CANTONMENT CEMETERY, MURREE NEW CEMETERY, MURREE OLD CEMETERY, RAWALPINDI (WEST RIDGE) CEMETERY, RISALPUR CEMETERY, SIALKOT EAST CEMETERY, SIALKOT WEST CEMETERY, SRINAGAR (SHEIKH BAGH) CEMETERY, UPPER BHARIAN CEMETERY, UPPER TOPA NEW CEMETERY