Cardiff (Cathays) Cemetery

• Country United Kingdom
• Total identified casualties 698 Find these casualties
• Region Glamorganshire
• Identified casualties from First & Second World War
• GPS Coordinates Latitude: 51.50025, Longitude: -3.1787

Visiting information

A Visitor Information Panel has recently been installed at Cardiff (Cathays) Cemetery to provide information about the war casualties buried here. This is one of many panels being erected to help raise awareness of First and Second World War graves in the UK (Apr 2013).

History information

During the 1939-1945 War, the city of Cardiff was one of the Royal Naval bases of the Western Approaches Command. It was severely damaged by enemy air attack during the early part of the 1939-1945 War and has been largely rebuilt. The cemetery, known locally as Cathays Cemetery was opened in 1859 and has been extended to cover over 100 acres. The cemetery contains war graves of both world wars. Just over a third of the 1914-1918 burials are contained in a War Graves Plot in the portion of Section EB, this plot is on two converging roadways leading to the main entrance. The remainder of the graves are scattered in other parts of the cemetery. After the 1914-1918 War, a Cross of Sacrifice was erected in front of the plot in the angle formed by the junction of the two roadways, the whole forming a triangular island site. The 1939-1945 War burials are scattered throughout the cemetery in more than 30 different sections. A number of them are airmen who came from the Royal Air Force stations at Cardiff and St. Athan. There are now nearly 500, 1914-1918 and over 200, 1939-1945 war casualties commemorated in this site. Some 40 French and Norwegian Foreign Nationals are also commemorated here.