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Article: Beauty and tragedy in network of war graves Echoes of the British Empire linger in the cemeteries of those who died for Britain and its dominions in the two world wars. The graves, scattered around the world, are tenderly preserved as reminders of history at its most appalling.(News)
- Article from:
- Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL)
- Article date:
- November 9, 2009
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Byline: Matti Friedman Associated Press
It is the British empire of the dead.
Scattered across 150 countries and managed from a modest office building near LondonAEs Heathrow Airport, a global patchwork of graveyards constitutes a beautiful memorial to the ugliest carnage: the 1.7 million fighting men and women who died for Britain and its dominions in the world wars of the last century.
Most were buried where they fell, and their graves are still tended by dedicated groundskeepers even as the wartime generations dwindle and visitors to the cemeteries become rare.
The caretakers are men like Mohammed Odeh, a Palestinian who grew up ...