6 Sqn RAF, CWGC Cemeteries in Iraq & WW1 Aviation
Basra Memorial
The CWGC Basra Memorial is located near Zubayr in southern Iraq, commemorating 40,633 members of the Commonwealth forces (British and Indian) who died in Mesopotamia during WW1 and whose graves are not known. The memorial was designed by Edward Warren and unveiled by Sir Gilbert Clayton on the 27th March 1929, just six months before his death from a heart attack after a game of Polo in Baghdad. He was buried at the RAF Hinaidi Peace Cemetery (name later changed to Ma’Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery).
With the kind permission of Ben Soppitt, whose runs a Facebook Group called Friends of Basra and has taken photographs of every panel at the Basra Memorial (see the originals HERE on the Friends of Basra 'Featured' posts Tab), I have been able to reproduce them here, below a diagram of the Memorial and displayed in ascending Panel sequence. The only changes I have made to the photographs is to crop and straighten them for conformity as well as adding a panel identifier for ease of reference.
Basra Memorial Diagram
Basra Memorial - Photographs of all 69 Panels
You can scroll through the images which are lower down this page or select the Panel(s) relating to specific Armed Services / Regiments by simply clicking on one of the links below. Note that the list is incomplete as some of the panels have been either partially or completely defaced. The names are shown as they appear in each Panel.
Royal Navy, RNVR, 7th (Queen's Own) Hussars, 8th (KRI) Hussars, 13th Hussars, 14th King's Hussars, 17th (DCO) 21st (EOI) Lancers, Lancers, Notts Sherwood Rangers Yeo, Leicestershire Yeomanry, Hertfordshire Yeomanry, Royal Horse & Royal Field Artillery
Royal Garrison Artillery, Royal Engineers, Royal Flying Corps, Royal Scots, The Queen's, The Buffs (East Kent Regiment)
Royal Lancaster Regiment, Northumberland Fusiliers, Royal Warwickshire Regiment
Royal Fusiliers, The King's Liverpool Regiment, Norfolk Regiment, Lincolnshire Regiment, Devonshire Regiment, Somerset Light Infantry, Bedfordshire Regiment, Leicestershire Regiment
Royal Irish Regiment, Yorkshire Regiment, Lancashire Fusiliers, Cheshire Regiment, Royal Welch Fusiliers
South Wales Borderers, King's Own Scottish Borderers, The Cameronians (Scottish Rifles), Gloucestershire Regiment, Worcestershire Regiment
East Lancashire Regiment, East Surrey Regiment, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, Duke of Wellington's Regiment, Border Regiment, Royal Sussex Regiment, Hampshire Regiment
Dorsetshire Regiment, South Lancashire Regiment, Welch Regiment
2nd Punjabis, 93rd Burma Infantry, 114th Mahr Attas, The Black Watch, Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry, Notts & Derby Regiment, Loyal North Lancashire Regiment
Royal Berkshire Regiment, Royal West Kent Regiment, King's Shropshire Light Infantry, Middlesex Regiment, King's Royal Rifle Corps
Wiltshire Regiment, Manchester Regiment,
North Staffordshire Regiment, Durham Light Infantry, Highland Light Infantry,
Seaforth Highlanders
Cameron Highlanders, Royal Irish Rifles, Royal Irish Fusiliers, Connaught Rangers, Argyll & Sutherland Rangers, Royal Dublin Fusiliers, The Rifle Brigade, 22nd BN London Regiment, Army Cyclist Corps, Machine Gun Corps (Infantry), Machine Gun Corps (Cavalry), Machine Gun Corps (Motor), Royal Army Service Corps, Royal Army Veterinary Corps, Royal Army Medical Corps, Royal Army Chaplains' Department
Royal Army Ordnance Corps, Corps of Military Police, Q A Imperial Military Nursing Service, General List, Royal Air Force, Western Ontario Regiment, Australian Flying Corps, Indian Army Reserve of Officers, Royal Horse & Royal Field Artillery, Royal Artillery, Machine Gun Corps, Royal Engineers, Madras Volunteer Guards, ******* Volunteer Rifles, ********* rd Madras, 26th King George's Own Light Cavalry, 27th Light Cavalry, 1st D Y O Lancers (Skinner's Horse), 3rd Lancers (Skinner's Horse), 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, 32nd Lancers, Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry, 34th P A V O Poona Horse, 35th Scinde Horse, 4th Cavalry, 5th Cavalry, 6th King Edward's Own Cavalry, 7th Harianan Lancers, 8th Cavalry, 36th Jacob's Horse, Q V O Corps of Guides Cav (F F) (Lumsden's), 21st P A V O Cavalry (F F) (Daly's Horse), 22nd Sam Browne's Cavalry (F F), 23rd Cavalry (F F), 25th Cavalry (F F),9th Hodson's Horse, 10th D C O Lancers (Hodson's Horse), 27th Punjabis, 28th Punjabis, 29th Punjabis, 30th Punjabis, 31st Punjabis, 15th Lancers (Cureton's Multanis), 16th Cavalry, 17th Cavalry, 20th Deccan Horse, 18th King George's Own Lancers, 37th Lancers (Baluch Horse), 29th Lancers (Deccan Horse), 30th Lancers (Gordon's Horse)
39th K G O Central India Horse, Bhavnagar Lancers, Indore Mounted Escort, Sardar Risala Jodhpur, Kashmir Lancers, Patiala (Rajindra) Lancers, No 9 Mtn Bty RGA, No 14 Mtn Bty RGA, Frontier Garrison Artillery, 21st Kohat Mountain Battery (F F), 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery (F F), 24th Mountain Battery (F F), 25th Mtn Battery, 27th Mtn Battery, 26th Jacobs Mountain Battery, 28th Mtn Battery, 30th Mtn Battery, 31st Mtn Battery, 33rd Mtn Battery, 34th (Res) Mtn Bty, 40th (Res) Mtn Bty, 45th Mtn Battery, 49th Mtn Battery, 50th Mtn Battery, Signal Units, 1st King George's Own Sappers & Miners, 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Sappers & Miners, 3rd Sappers & Miners, Maler-Kotla Imperial Service Sappers, Sirmur Sapper Corps, Tehri Sappers, 61st KGO Pioneers, 63rd Palamcottah L I, 62nd Punjabis, 64th Pioneers, 66th Punjabis, 67th Punjabis, 69th Punjabis, 72nd Punjabis, 1/73rd Carnatic Infantry, 74th Punjabis, 75th Carnatic Infantry, 80th Carnatic Infantry, 76th Punjabis, 1st Brahmans, 79th Carnatic Infantry, 101st Grenadiers, 81st Pioneers, 82nd Punjabis, 83rd Wallajahbad Light Infantry, 84th Punjabis, 86th Carnatic Infantry, 107th Pioneers, 102nd King Edward's Own Grenadiers, 1/103rd Mahratta Light Infantry, 104th Wellesley's Rifles, 105th Mahratta Light Infantry, 108th Infantry, 110th Mahratta Light Infantry
109th Infantry, 88th Carnatic Inf, 2nd Queen Victoria's Own Rajput Light Inf, 87th Punjabis, 89th Punjabis, 1/3rd Brahmans, 4th Prince Albert Victor's Rajputs, 112th Infantry, 90th Punjabis, 91st Punjabis (Light Infantry), 113th Infantry, Welch Regiment, The Black Watch, 116th Mahrattas, 117th Mahrattas, 5th Light Infantry, 6th JAT Light Infantry, 7th Duke of Connaught's Own Rajputs, 8th Rajputs, 120th Rajputana Infantry, 119th Infantry (The Mooltan Regiment), 121st Pioneers, 122nd Rajpatana Infgantry, 3rd Outrams Rifles, 124th Duchess of Connaught's Ov***, Baluchistan Infantry, 125th Napier's Rifles, 9th Ghurkha ******, 1st KGO Gurkha Rifles (The Malaun***), Joth Jats, 11th Rajputs, 12th Pioneers (The Khelat-1-Ghilzie Regt)
126th Baluchusan Infantry, 13th Rajputs (The Shekhawati Regiment), 12*th Queen Mary's Own Baluch Light Inf), 4th King George's Own Ferozepore Sikhs, 15th Ludhiana Sikhs, 2nd KEO Gurkha Rifles (The Sirmoor Rifles), 3rd Queen Alexandra's Own Gurkha Rifles, QVO Corps of Guides Inf (F F) (Lumsdens), 51st Sikhs (Frontier Force), 52nd Sikhs (Frontier Force), 53rd Sikhs (Frontier Force), 54th Sikhs (Frontier Force), 129th DSuke of Connaught's Own Baluchis, 128th Pioneers, 55th Coke's Rifles (Frontier Force), 56th Punjabi Rifles (Frontier Force), 58th Vaughan's Rifles (Frontier Force), 59th Scinde Rifles (Frontier Force), 4th Gurkha Rifles, 16th Rajputs (The Lucknow Regiment), 17th Infantry (The Loyal Regiment), 18th Infantry, 19th Punjabis, 20th DCO Infantry (Brownlow's Punjabis), 21st Punjabis, 22nd Punjabis, 1/23rd Sikh Pioneers, 2/23rd Sikh Pioneers, 3/23rd Sikh Pioneers, 24th Punjabis, 25th Punjabis, 26th Punjabis, 11th KEO Lancers (Probyn's Horse), 12th Cavalry, 13th D of C Lancers (Watson's Horse), 14th Murray's JAT Lancers, 32nd Sikh Pioneers, 33rd Punjabis, 5th Gurkha Rifles (Frontier Force), 34th Sikh Pioneers, 35th Sikhs, 37th Dogras, 38th Dogras, 3/39th Garhwal Rifles
36th Sikhs, 1/39th Garhwal Rifles, 2/39th Garhwal Rifles, 41st Dogras, 6th Gurkha Rifles, 7th Gurkha Rifles, 8th Gurkha Rifles, 45th Rattray's Sikhs, 46th Punjabis, 47th Sikhs, 48th Pioneers, 94th Russell's Infantry, 95th Russell's Infantry, 96th Berar Infantry, 97th Deccan Infantry, 98th Infantry, 2/9th Delhi Infantry, 99th Deccan Infantry, 42nd Deoli Regiment, 1/9th Bhopal Infantry, 3/9th Bhopal Infantry, 43rd Erinpura Regiment, 106th Hazara Pioneers, 44th Merwara Infantry, 10th Gurkha Rifles, 49th Bengalis, 5/70th Burma Rifles, 71st Punjabis, 85th Burman Rifles, 11th Gurkha Rifles, 142nd Jodhpur Inf, 150th Indian Inf, 3/153rd Rifles, 154th Indian Inf, Kapurthala Infantry (Jagatjit Regiment), Nabha Infantry, Supply & Transport Corps, Mule Corps, Bullock Corps, Camel Corps, Bharatpur Transport Corps, Gwalior Transport Corps, Indore Transport Corps, Jaipur Transport Corps, Mysore Transport Corps Benares DState A T Corps
Imperial Service Transport Corps, 101st Indian Labour Company, Indian Labour Corps, Followers Central Depots, Indian Medical Service, Indian Medical Dept, Army Hospital Corps, Army Bearer Corps, H H M Scindia's Convalescent Home, Army Remount Department India, Indian Ordnance Department, Indian Veterinary Corps, Indian Military Works Services, Indian Military Accounts Department, Indian Postal &Telegraph Department, Indian Political Department, Indian Survey Department, Indian Government Stationery Department, ****** Force, Assam Military Police, Burma Military Police, Indian Railways, Nio*r* Regiment, British West Indies Regiment, Ceylon Contingent, Mauritius Labour Corps
The following Panels (many of them completely defaced) are for British and Indian soldiers who died in captivity in Turkey and whose graves are not known:
Panels 60 to 63 [Panels 61 and 62 completely defaced]
Royal Navy, Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Naval Reserve, 5th Dragoon Guards, 7th Dragoon Guards, Notts Sherwood Rangers Yeomanry, Dorset (Q O) Yeomanry, Royal Gloucester Hussars, Worcestershire Yeomanry, Fife and Forfar Yeomanry, Royal Horse & Royal Field Artillery, South Wales Borderers, King's Own Scottish Borderers, Royal Inniskilling Fusiliers, Worcestershire Regiment, Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry, East Surrey Regiment, Royal Sussex Regiment, Hampshire Regiment, Dorsetshire Regiment, Welch Regiment, Black Watch, Oxford & Bucks Light Infantry,
Northamptonshire Regiment, Royal West Kent Regiment, Middlesex Regiment, Wiltshire Regiment, Manchester Regiment, Durham Light Infantry, Highland Light Infantry, Seaforth Highlanders, Gordon Highlanders, Connaught Rangers, First Surrey Rifles, 23rd Battalion London Regiment, Herefordshire Regiment, Royal Air Force, Indian Defence Force Artillery, Indian Volunteer Corps Infantry, 27th Light Cavalry, 32nd Lancers, 31st Duke of Connaught's Own Lancers, 33rd Queen Victoria's Own Light Cavalry, 7th Hariana Lancers, 23rd Cavalry, 11th K E O Lancers (Proby's *****), Australian Light Horse, Australian Flying Corps, 1st Battalion Australian Infantry, Australian Army Medical Corps, Indian Army Reserve of Officers, Royal Horse & Royal Field Artillery, 12th Cavalry, 16th Cavalry, 18th King George's Own Lancers, 20th Deccan Horse, Bhavnagar Lancers, Hyderabad Lancers, Kashmir Lancers, Lahore Lancers, 23rd Peshawar Mountain Battery, 1st King George's Own Sappers & Miners, 3rd Sappers & Miners, Signal Units, Sirmur Sapper Corps, 66th Punjabis, 67th Punjabis, 1/73rd Carnatic Infantry, 75th Carnatic Infantry, 76th Punjabis, 79th Punjabis, 80th Carnatic Infantry, 81st Pioneers, 82nd Punjabis, 83rd Wallajahbad Light Infantry, 102nd King Edward's Own Grenadiers, 103rd Mahratta Light Infantry, 105th Mahratta Light Infantry, 104th Wellesley's Rifles, 108th Infantry
Panels 67 to 69 [Panel 69 completely defaced]
120th Rajputana Infantry, 122nd Rajputana Infantry, 123rd Outram's Rifles, 51st Sikhs (F F), `124th Duchess of Connaught's Own Baluchistan Infantry, 1st K G O Gurkha Rifles (the Malaun Regiment), 2nd K E O Gurkha Rifles (the Sirmoor Rifles), 54th Sikhs (F F), 4th Gurkha Rifles, Army Hospital Corps, Army Bearer Corps, Indian Ordnance Department, Postal & Tel****
Panel 01 Basra Memorial, Iraq
