Alwiya Indian War Cemetery
- Country Iraq
- Total identified casualties 1 Find these casualties
- Identified casualties from First World War
- GPS Coordinates Latitude: 33.29989, Longitude: 44.43343
Roll of Honour
A two volume Roll of Honour listing all casualties buried and commemorated in Iraq has been produced and are on display at the Commission's Head Office in Maidenhead. Digital versions of these Rolls of Honour have been produced and are available to view online.
View the digital Rolls of HonourHistorical Note
The identified casualties within this cemetery are commemorated collectively on a memorial without their names. Their names are included in a cemetery register. Owing to difficulties accessing the country since the first Gulf War, the CWGC has not yet been able to correct this, although plans are being made to ensure these men are appropriately commemorated.
You can find more information about historical inequalities in commemoration in our Special Committee’s report.
Location information
Baghdad is a city on both banks of the Tigris, approximately 350 kilometres from the Persian Gulf. Alwiya Indian War Cemetery is on the south-east side of Baghdad.
Visiting information
Note: Whilst the current climate of political instability persists it is extremely challenging for the Commission to manage or maintain its cemeteries and memorials located within Iraq. Alternative arrangements for commemoration have therefore been implemented and a two volume Roll of Honour listing all casualties buried and commemorated in Iraq has been produced. These volumes are on display at the Commission's Head Office in Maidenhead and are available for the public to view.
The Commission continues to monitor the situation in Iraq and once the political climate has improved to an acceptable level the Commission will commence a major rehabilitation project for its cemeteries and commemorations.
Before considering a visit to Iraq the Commission strongly recommends that you check the advice given by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office on the travel section of their website:
www.fco.gov.uk/en/travel-and-living-abroad/travel-advice-by-country/
History information
In 1914, Baghdad was the headquarters of the Turkish Army in Mesopotamia. It was the ultimate objective of the Indian Expeditionary Force 'D' and the goal of the force besieged and captured at Kut in 1916. The city finally fell in March 1917, but the position was not fully consolidated until the end of April. Nevertheless, it had by that time become the Expeditionary Force's advanced base, with two stationary hospitals and three casualty clearing stations. Alwiya Indian War Cemetery was begun some months after the capture of Baghdad and used for both Indian and United Kingdom burials, the latter graves being moved to the North Gate Cemetery after the Armistice. The cemetery now contains the graves of 451 Indian servicemen, only one of them identified.