6 Sqn RAF, CWGC Cemeteries in Iraq & WW1 Aviation
Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery - Site and Dimensions
The Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery, renamed the Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery when RAF Hinaidi (the headquarters for the British Armed Forces in Mesopotamia) was handed over to the Iraqi government in 1937, has long been abandoned and has over time 'fallen between the cracks' with regards the CWGC maintenance of the headstones and the security of the site itself. Below are three satellite images taken of the cemetery.
The first image was taken in 2019 before my involvement in the project and shows the cemetery on the edge of a rubbish dump, with no protecting walls and a well-used track carved across the NE/SW diagonal. I have circled no less than five trucks captured in the image and have added a white rectangle to the image that marks the original perimeter of the cemetery.
The second image was also taken prior to the construction of the new wall and is a close-up satellite photo of the cemetery overlaid by the original 1964 Commonwealth War Graves Commission plan. You can see that it is only by sheer luck that the track only impacts a small part of Plot 2 and it is likely that the remains of the men buried there have not been disturbed.
For the location and comparative dimensions of the Khanaqin War Cemetery, Diyala, click HERE
2019 Satellite Photograph of the Ma'asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery
Royal Air Force Casualties at the Ma'asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery
In trying to determine the exact grave locations for two 6 Squadron men who died in a flying accident in 1922 (see the story on Flying Officer Edwin Ffoulkes-Jones), I contacted Dr Christopher Morris of the RAF Habbaniya Association who was able to provide some of the missing pieces of the jigsaw. Dr Morris also provided me with maps of Iraq (one as it was in the 1920's and another drawn in 1944) as well as a list of Royal Air Force personnel who died whilst in service and were buried at the RAF Hinaidi military cemetery, located in the Zafaraniyah district to the south-east of Baghdad, between the Zafaraniyah road (the old route to Kut and Amarahnext) and Rashid airport. 6 Squadron was one of many Royal Air Force squadrons stationed in Iraq at one time or another and the squadron moved from Baghdad West to RAF Hinaidi in October 1922. By comparing the names against the 6 Squadron Book of Remembrance I conducted my own research over a period of twelve months with the kind assistance of Peter Burlton, researcher for the RAF Habbaniya Association. In summary, 197 of the the total number of 300 graves at Hinaidi belong to Royal Air Force personnel, the remainder for 72 British Army personnel, 2 Royal Navy men, 29 civilian contractors (including 5 women) and 1 baby girl who was only eight months old at the time of her death. I also researched the service records of the RAF aircrew, many of whom were decorated WW1 veterans. Click HERE for details.
Ma'Asker Al Raschid RAF Cemetery / Hinaidi RAF Peace Cemetery Dimensions
