Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial

Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial is the only American Military Cemetery of World War I in the British Isles. It is found about 28 miles (45 km) southwest of London. This special place holds the graves of 468 American service members who died during the war, including 41 whose names are unknown.

The cemetery covers 4.5 acres (1.8 hectares) and is kept in beautiful condition by the American Battle Monuments Commission. It sits next to a much larger civilian cemetery called Brookwood Cemetery, which was built by the London Necropolis Company and opened in 1854. Close by is another big cemetery called Brookwood Military Cemetery, cared for by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, where more than 5,000 people who died in the two world wars are buried.

History

In September 1922, the London Necropolis Company sold a piece of land next to the Brookwood Military Cemetery to the US government. The US government asked them to make the land look nice and build a chapel, which opened in 1929. Inside the chapel are the names of 563 missing service members, most of whom were part of the United States Navy and Coast Guard. Their graves are at the bottom of the sea. Most of the people buried in Brookwood died in Great Britain or its nearby waters. During World War I, soldiers who died in London hospitals were taken to Brookwood. After the war ended in 1918, the dead from different places in England, Scotland, and Ireland were brought there. These were members of the American Expeditionary Forces who died in England or nearby waters.

When the United States entered the Second World War, the American cemetery grew, and burials of US service members began in April 1942. With many American troops based in western England, a special train moved bodies from Devonport to Brookwood. By August 1944, over 3,600 bodies had been buried there. After that, burials stopped, and US service members were buried at the Cambridge American Cemetery and Memorial instead.

In January to May 1948, the US service members buried at Brookwood during World War II were moved. Those whose families asked for it were sent to the United States for burial, and the rest were moved to the new cemetery near Cambridge.

General layout

The cemetery was designed by two architects, one from New York and one from Britain. The graves are marked by special stones made from a kind of white marble, shaped like a cross or a star to honor different beliefs. The graves are surrounded by trees and plants to make the place look nice.

In 2015 and 2016, workers made many improvements to the cemetery in time for a special celebration. They fixed the stones, did work on the ground, and planted new trees and plants.

The chapel

The chapel was dedicated in 1929 and was designed by Egerton Swartwout and Harry Bulkeley Creswell. It sits in the northwest side of the cemetery. Above the entrance, there is a tribute that reads “PERPETUAL LIGHT UPON THEM SHINES.” The chapel is a classic white stone building made from Portland limestone from the Isle of Portland, Dorset. Inside, there are soft tan-colored stones, an altar, two oak pews, flags, and carved doorways. There are 18 stained glass windows by Reginald Hallward, showing the names of American states and territories from 1918. The windows also include symbols for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard.

The walls of the chapel list the names of 563 missing Americans whose remains were never found or could not be identified. This includes everyone from the USCGC cutter Tampa, which was attacked one night in September 1918 in the Bristol Channel. All 115 crew members and 16 passengers were lost. Another ship, the USS Alcedo, was the first American ship lost in the war. It was hit by a torpedo in December 1917, and 21 men were lost. The names of 11 men from the USCGC Seneca are also listed, who were lost in September 1918 while trying to help another ship.

Notable names

Two brave people are honored at Brookwood American Cemetery for their very special acts of courage during World War I. Gunner's Mate First Class Osmond Ingram was the first sailor ever to receive the Medal of Honor in that war. On 15 October 1917, while serving on the USS Cassin, Ingram noticed a dangerous torpedo coming toward the ship. He tried to save the ship, but the torpedo hit before he could finish what he was doing. Though Ingram was lost in the explosion, his name is remembered forever on a wall inside the cemetery’s chapel.

Another hero honored there is Gustav A. Sundquist, who also received the Medal of Honor for his bravery in an earlier war. Sadly, he passed away while at sea later in World War I.