Rangoon Memorial

To honour those who served their country

“In this their finest hour”

Rangoon Memorial

Rangoon Memorial

The Rangoon Memorial has been erected in Taukkyan War Cemetery, Rangoon. This, the largest of the three war cemeteries in Burma, is about 21 miles north of the city on the Prome road, immediately adjoining the village of Taukkyan, and on the far side of Mingaladon cantonment, near Mingaladon airfield. The Memorial stands in the centre of the cemetery, surrounded by the graves of more than 6,000 men who fought and died with those whom it commemorates, whose remains were brought from the battlefield cemeteries at Akyab, Mandalay, Meiktila and Sahmaw, and from scattered jungle and roadside graves all over Burma. It is in the form of two long open garden courts, flanked by covered walks and joined by an open rotunda. The names of the fallen are carved on the inner faces of broad rectangular piers placed at intervals to form the sides of the covered walks. Through these colonnades can be seen the green lawns of the cemetery and the colourful garden courts.

On the frieze inside the rotunda are inscribed in English these words:-

1939 - 1945

HERE ARE RECORDED THE NAMES OF TWENTY-SEVEN THOUSAND

SOLDIERS OF MANY RACES UNITED IN SERVICE TO THE BRITISH CROWN

WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES IN BURMA AND ASSAM BUT TO WHOM THE

FORTUNE OF WAR DENIED THE CUSTOMARY RITES ACCORDED

TO THEIR COMRADES IN DEATH

Also engraved on the rotunda in English, Burmese, Hindi, Urdu and Gurmukhi is the additional inscription

THEY DIED FOR ALL FREE MEN

It was begun in 1951 for the reception of graves from four battlefield cemeteries at Akyab, Mandalay, Meiktila and Sahmaw which were difficult to access and could not be maintained. The last was an original 'Chindit' cemetery containing many of those who died in the battle for Myitkyina.

The graves have been grouped together at Taukkyan to preserve the individuality of these battlefield cemeteries Burials were also transferred from civil and cantonment cemeteries, and from a number of isolated jungle and roadside sites. Because of prolonged post-war unrest, considerable delay occurred before the Army Graves Service were able to complete their work, and in the meantime many such graves had disappeared. However, when the task was resumed, several hundred more graves were retrieved from scattered positions throughout the country and brought together here.

The cemetery now contains 6,374 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War, 867 of them unidentified.

In the 1950s, the graves of 52 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War were brought into the cemetery from the following cemeteries where permanent maintenance was not possible: Henzada (1); Meiktila Cantonment (8); Thayetmyo New (5); Thamakan (4); Mandalay Military (12) and Maymyo Cantonment (22).

Taukkyan War Cemetery also contains: The TAUKKYAN CREMATION MEMORIAL commemorating more than 1,000 Second World War casualties whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith. The TAUKKYAN MEMORIAL which commemorates 45 servicemen of both wars who died and were buried elsewhere in Burma but whose graves could not be maintained.

Campaign in Burma