Their name liveth for evermore

These are just some of the many poignant homages to martyrs of the Second World War, whose remains lie interred at the Kirkee War Cemetery, Pune.

One of four such cemeteries in the country, the Kirkee War Cemetery is a little-known resting place for selfless warriors
8211; A Silent Thought, A Secret Tear. For the Daddy We Loved and Beloved So Dear: Lt A A V Cacacie, Age 39, Indian Engineers, Died on July 30, 1943
8211; Beloved Husband of Mary, Dear Daddy of Maureen:
8211; Private C O Cornell, Age 23, The Royal Scots, Died on Nov 10, 1942
8211; To the World, But One. But to Us, All the World:
8211; Sub Lt J A Goodwin, Age 21, HMIS Dalhousie, Died on Nov 10, 1944
8211; Sleep on, dear one, in a far-off land. Always in our thoughts 8211; Mum, Dad and Family: Aircraftman F C White, Age 21, The Royal Air Force, Died on September 30, 1942
8211; Few Know Our Heartache, Few See Us Weep. Without Farewell, You Fall
Asleep: Private J A Savage, Age 24, The Somerset Light Infantry, Died on November 15, 1946

These are just some of the many poignant homages to martyrs of the Second World War, whose remains lie interred at the Kirkee War Cemetery, Pune. Located on the left bank of the Mula River, the cemetery is an oasis of peace and an ideal resting place for the brave men, most of whom perished in the prime of their youth, their early 20s. Though India was not an immediate theatre of war in the World Wars, countless Indian soldiers in the service of the British Armed Forces were killed during the First and Second World Wars.

The cemetery was primarily created to receive Second World War graves from the western and central parts of India where their permanent maintenance could not be assured. This last resting place contains 1,668 graves of soldiers from the UK, Burma, Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, Australia, Seychelles, Poland, Southern Rhodesia, East Africa, West Africa and undivided India. The Kirkee War Memorial stands within the cemetery and commemorates more than 1,800 servicemen who died in India during the First World War, and who are buried in civil and cantonment cemeteries in India and Pakistan, where their graves can no longer be properly maintained. 8220;With the passage of time and lack of resources, it was feared that people will one day forget these martyrs. That8217;s when the Commonwealth War Graves Commission CWGC decided to set up the cemetery in Pune and also in Madras, Ranchi, Calcutta and Delhi,8221; informs M S Bhanwal, manager of the cemetery.

Diligently-maintained by five gardeners, the cemetery is a living testimony to the inscription Their Name Liveth For Evermore, engraved on the main tombstone facing the entrance. Maintained by funds provided by the CWGC, the cemetery is open for visitors from 9 am to 5 pm on all seven days. It regularly has visitors from the Commonwealth nations, and mostly from the UK, with some people coming down to the cemetery for the specific purpose of paying tribute to their loved ones.

The intrepid men in uniform rest here under the shade of bottlebrush and gulmohar trees. The cemetery is covered with lush green grass and pergolas, on which verdurous ficus vines and white and magenta bougainvillea creepers compete with each other to spread their sylvan stems.

All the tombstones are of equal dimensions and there are some simple yet memorable lines by family members engraved on almost all of them. And just below each inscription is a pretty little flowering plant or shrub, of rosemary, lavender, sage, rose 8211; a living, loving reminder planted by close friends and family for the long dead and gone heroes. Except for those unfortunate warriors who remain unmourned, like the couple of graves we spotted which had only this for an inscription 8211; A Soldier of the 1939-45 War, A West African Regiment. And then we saw four tombstones in one line, with just a date, August 4, 1943, and four names 8211; N K Dubash, G V Gadgil, G V Rao and S N Tayeb. Perhaps four close friends who stood by each other in life and now, lie interred side by side, with nothing coming in the way of their friendship, not even death.