Re-landscaping Memorials and Cemeteries in Iraq

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) commemorates 1.7 million Commonwealth war dead of the two World Wars in 23,000 locations across over 150 countries and territories. Its Head Office is in Maidenhead in the UK. This global historic estate consists of cemeteries and memorials maintained to the highest conservation standards

Over 65,000 war dead are commemorated in Iraq, 45,000 of which are in Basra. The CWGC cares for the Basra War Cemetery and the separate Indian Forces Cemetery opposite which between them occupy an area of approximately 4 hectares. The CWGC are also responsible for the Basra Memorial which commemorates members of the Commonwealth forces who died in operations in Mesopotamia in the First World War. The memorial, designed by Edward Warren and unveiled in 1929, was moved 32km from Basra in 1997.

The two Basra war cemeteries have suffered extensive damage during the conflicts in Iraq but now present an opportunity for reconstruction. The CWGC wish to engage the services of a suitably skilled landscape architect with knowledge and experience of planting design in the Middle East, and if possible Iraq, to produce a masterplan for the layout and reconstruction of the two cemeteries and for possibly re-siting the Basra Memorial

As with other CWGC cemeteries all over the world, the cemeteries need to be fitting places of commemoration for the war dead. The original layouts and planting designs relied on extensive irrigation and a high labour input. The CWGC wish to consider options for creating new landscape designs for these sites appropriate to the climate and horticulture of this part of the Middle East which also take a more sustainable view - minimising water use whilst still delivering high quality standards of horticulture

It is intended that the first part of this exercise will be the production of a masterplan for the two cemeteries with costs and options for new landscape designs, possibly also considering the options for repairing or even re-siting the Basra Memorial as part of this

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