I've Written To The Pm Today.............

[10ClarionSt]

....to ask that a memorial be erected to 4200 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in Iraq in 1916. My great uncle was one of them. The Commonwealth cemetery in Basra that contained all their graves was totally destroyed by rebels and insurgents in 2009. A gross insult to those men and their descendants. Former Labour MP Andrew Mackinlay is leading the campaign on this so we are hoping that the PM will have the authority to give this the go-ahead. We'll see.

[Barmaid]

Let's hope she does so. I take it the CWGC are involved?

[Baldric]

Hopefully something can be done

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/history/britain-at-war/10438147/Iraq-cemetery-containing-graves-of-British-servicemen-is-destroyed.html

[Barmaid]

She seems extremely supportive of our service men and women so I would hope that such a memorial would be granted funding - particularly since the original memorial has now been destroyed.

I was lucky enough to visit a number of CWGC cemetaries in Italy in 2013 (Anzio, Cassino, Salerno, Casserta, Florence) with my grandfather. Very humbling, peaceful and thought provoking places.

[Mamyalynne]

It's to be hoped something can be achieved the public would be strongly behind it, the campaign needs more publicity really.

Thanks for raising the topic 10C.

[Gromit]

Whilst I appreciate your concern, shouldn't the living be targeted if there is any help going to Iraq.
We invaded the country (on the pretext of a big lie) and left it in ruins. We left the door open for Islamic State's murderers to take over half the country. We should make Iraq secure again before we spend any money on a cemetery.