Trincomalee War Cemetery

Lest We Forget

The Trincomalee War Cemetery, located very close to the suburb of Uppuveli is a stark reminder of when the world was at war for the second time during the 1940s. Trincomalee, being the headquarters of the Royal Navy’s South East Asian Fleet, was a strategic location that not only possessed the naval force of the British Empire, but also the gathering of intelligence. The Japanese were adamant to destroy the British South East Asian Fleet as soon as possible to isolate any possibility for Allied advances in Asia, and the Easter Sunday Raid of 1942 that was launched by the Japanese was the end result. Although the Japanese utilised 100 aircrafts to perform raids, it was a complete failure. However, many brave men were killed in action, and this war cemetery serves to be the final resting place for many of those casualties.

A Final Resting Place for Many Nationalities

According to official records, there are 314 bodies buried in this cemetery who are mainly of British nationality. However, there are headstones of soldiers of other nationalities too. Such nationalities include Dutch, Indian, New Zealand, Australian, Italian, and even South African.

In commemoration of the men who sacrificed their lives, memorial services are conducted regularly during certain days.