Rangoon War Cemetery

The Rangoon War Cemetery

The Rangoon War Cemetery was not initially on our list of places to visit. But its manicured lawns and Memorial structure stood out from the street-scape of dusty buildings and straggly vegetation as we drove past from our day trip to the "Gold Rock" pagoda. We decided to visit the next day.

The Taukkyan War Cemetery (as it is known locally) is a memorial to the Allied soldiers from the British Commonwealth who died in Burma during the World War II; British, Burmese, Indian and African soldiers are buried here. I was a little weary of temples and pagodas and glad to visit something with more architectural content and as it turned out, emotional content as we wandered through the grave stones and read the inscriptions on the plaques.

Each headstone has an inscribed brass plaque with a flowering shrubs beside it - some of the inscriptions were quite moving and I found myself on an emotional verge several times. I noticed that a large number were from India and most were very young, 16 - 17 years old - the same age as Sara. She was also reading the quotes and having a little cry, as was Sam. The unidentified soldiers' grave were inscribed with 'Known onto God' while many others gave an insight to the men interred here.
One read 'Father, not my will but Thine be done' which to me speaks of a reluctance and obedience to do one's duty for a perceived greater good. It is from the Bible (Luke 22:44).