HRH The Duke of Kent celebrates fifty years as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission

His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent is celebrating fifty years as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) – the organisation at the heart of remembrance of the 1.7 million Commonwealth war dead of two World Wars. The milestone comes as CWGC holds its 700th full meeting of the Commission in London.

The Duke of Kent was presented with a long service medal and a photographic album depicting some of the highlights of His Royal Highness’ fifty-year Presidency by CWGC Vice Chairman Sir Bill Rollo in recognition of his unstinting service and support for CWGC and the high regard, in which His Royal Highness is held by CWGC staff across the world.

On reaching his half-century as President of the CWGC, His Royal Highness The Duke of Kent said:

“It has been and continues to be, my privilege and honour to serve as President of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission. As I reflect on the last 50 years, I am struck by the constant innovation of the CWGC, from its first archive collections to the invaluable digital war records we have today.

“But the embrace of the modern has not come at the expense of the past, and I remain deeply impressed by the passion and dedication of the CWGC’s international workforce, into whose safe hands we commit our fallen.

“Each of my visits to the final resting places of those who gave their lives for us is as profoundly moving as the very first, and I commend the vital work of the CWGC, through which the sacrifice of these brave men and women will be remembered for generations to come.”

The Duke of Kent’s personal milestone coincides with the CWGC’s 700th meeting of its board of Commissioners. Over the course of those meetings, ground-breaking decisions were taken by people like Winston Churchill and Rudyard Kipling, which shaped remembrance of the war dead. The minutes of these meetings are digitised and freely available to search at CWGC’s website at www.cwgc.org