Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial
Encyclopedia
Brookwood American Cemetery and Memorial is the only American Military Cemetery of World War I
in the British Isles. Located approximately 28 miles (45.1 km) southwest of London, Brookwood American Cemetery contains the graves of 468 American war dead, including the graves of 41 unknown servicemen, from World War I.
Maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission
, the cemetery of 4.5 acres (18,210.9 m²) lies to the west of the civilian Brookwood Cemetery
, built by the London Necropolis Company
and opened in 1854. The American cemetery is flanked by the much larger Brookwood Military Cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
, which contains more than 5,000 war dead from the two world wars.
UB-77 attack on the SS Tuscania
, a British troop transport of the Anchor Line
, sunk on 5 February 1918 off the coast of Scotland. In 1929 the chapel memorial opened. Inside are the engraved names 563 missing, most of whom served in the United States Navy and Coast Guard, whose graves are in the sea.
in Jefferson City
(1917) and Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Bailey Fountain (1929). For Brookwood, he laid out the cemetery into four plots for the 468 headstones, grouped around a flagpole. The headstones are of Italian Carrara
marble, in the shape of the Latin cross or a Star of David
. Shrubs and trees frame the grave plots: evergreen
, oak
and Scots pine
. Existing pine trees were retained to give a pleasing effect around the chapel. For color around the cemetery, rhododendron
s, azalea
and heather
were planted.
, Dorset
, the interior is decorated with religious, military and patriotic symbols. The interior has soft tan-hued stone, with an altar, two oak pews, flags and carved doorways. There are 18 stained glass windows, each bearing the names of American States and Territories of 1918. There are unit insignia worked into the glass and the branches of service for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
Engraved into the walls of the chapel are the names of 563 missing Americans. Most were lost at sea and their remains were never recovered or could not be positively identified. Included on the walls of the chapel are the names of all hands from the USCGC cutter Tampa
, the largest loss of American lives at sea in the war. The cutter was in service for 11 months, until the night of 26 September 1918, when it was attacked in the Bristol Channel
. All 115 hands, as well as 16 passengers, were lost. Another naval disaster was the USS Alcedo
, a former pleasure yacht that converted to a Navy escort, and the first American ship lost in the war. It was struck by a torpedo on 17 December 1917 and lost 21 men. Also included on the wall are the names of the 11 men of the USCGC Seneca
who were lost on 16 September 1918, while attempting to assist the steamship Wellington.
recipient honored at Brookwood American Cemetery. Gunner's Mate First Class Osmond Ingram
was the first sailor to receive the award in World War I. On 15 October 1917
, Ingram was serving on the USS Cassin
. He spotted an incoming torpedo and attempted to release the ship’s load of depth charges before the torpedo struck the ship on the aft side. The torpedo struck the ship before he could accomplish his purpose and Ingram was killed by the explosion. Ingram’s body was never recovered; his name is engraved in gold on the wall of the chapel with other crewmen of the Cassin. Other notables are several nurses who perished and are interred in the cemetery.
, presented to the cemetery in 1965. The accompanying certificate is signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson
.
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
in the British Isles. Located approximately 28 miles (45.1 km) southwest of London, Brookwood American Cemetery contains the graves of 468 American war dead, including the graves of 41 unknown servicemen, from World War I.
Maintained by the American Battle Monuments Commission
American Battle Monuments Commission
The American Battle Monuments Commission is a small independent agency of the United States government. Established by Congress in 1923, it is responsible for:...
, the cemetery of 4.5 acres (18,210.9 m²) lies to the west of the civilian Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery
Brookwood Cemetery is a burial ground in Brookwood, Surrey, England. It is the largest cemetery in the United Kingdom and one of the largest in western Europe.-History:...
, built by the London Necropolis Company
London Necropolis Company
The London Necropolis Company , formally the London Necropolis & National Mausoleum Company until 1927, was a cemetery operator established by Act of Parliament in 1852 in reaction to the crisis caused by the closure of London's graveyards in 1851. The LNC intended to establish a single cemetery...
and opened in 1854. The American cemetery is flanked by the much larger Brookwood Military Cemetery, maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission
Commonwealth War Graves Commission
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission is an intergovernmental organisation of six independent member states whose principal function is to mark, record and maintain the graves, and places of commemoration, of Commonwealth of Nations military service members who died in the two World Wars...
, which contains more than 5,000 war dead from the two world wars.
History
Most of the dead buried in Brookwood died in Great Britain or its surrounding waters. During World War I, servicemen who died in London hospitals were brought to Brookwood. After the Armistice in 1918, the dead from various temporary sites throughout England, Scotland and Ireland were brought to it. These were members of the American Expeditionary Forces who lost their lives in England or the surrounding waters. Among those reburied in Brookwood American Cemetery were victims of the German U-boatU-boat
U-boat is the anglicized version of the German word U-Boot , itself an abbreviation of Unterseeboot , and refers to military submarines operated by Germany, particularly in World War I and World War II...
UB-77 attack on the SS Tuscania
SS Tuscania (1914)
The SS Tuscania was a luxury liner of the Cunard subsidiary Anchor Line, named after a town in Italy. She was torpedoed in 1918 by the German U-boat UB-77 while carrying American troops to Europe and sank with a loss of 210 lives.-Commercial career:...
, a British troop transport of the Anchor Line
Cunard Line
Cunard Line is a British-American owned shipping company based at Carnival House in Southampton, England and operated by Carnival UK. It has been a leading operator of passenger ships on the North Atlantic for over a century...
, sunk on 5 February 1918 off the coast of Scotland. In 1929 the chapel memorial opened. Inside are the engraved names 563 missing, most of whom served in the United States Navy and Coast Guard, whose graves are in the sea.
General layout
The cemetery was designed by New York architect Edgerton Swartwout (1870–1943) and associate architect H.B. Cresswell. Swartwout designed the Missouri State CapitolMissouri State Capitol
The Missouri State Capitol is located in the U.S. state of Missouri. Housing the Missouri General Assembly, it is located in the state capital of Jefferson City at 201 West Capitol Avenue. The domed building was designed by the New York architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout and completed in 1917...
in Jefferson City
Jefferson City, Missouri
Jefferson City is the capital of the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Cole County. Located in Callaway and Cole counties, it is the principal city of the Jefferson City metropolitan area, which encompasses the entirety of both counties. As of the 2010 census, the population was 43,079...
(1917) and Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza Bailey Fountain (1929). For Brookwood, he laid out the cemetery into four plots for the 468 headstones, grouped around a flagpole. The headstones are of Italian Carrara
Carrara
Carrara is a city and comune in the province of Massa-Carrara , notable for the white or blue-grey marble quarried there. It is on the Carrione River, some west-northwest of Florence....
marble, in the shape of the Latin cross or a Star of David
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
. Shrubs and trees frame the grave plots: evergreen
Evergreen
In botany, an evergreen plant is a plant that has leaves in all seasons. This contrasts with deciduous plants, which completely lose their foliage during the winter or dry season.There are many different kinds of evergreen plants, both trees and shrubs...
, oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
and Scots pine
Scots Pine
Pinus sylvestris, commonly known as the Scots Pine, is a species of pine native to Europe and Asia, ranging from Scotland, Ireland and Portugal in the west, east to eastern Siberia, south to the Caucasus Mountains, and as far north as well inside the Arctic Circle in Scandinavia...
. Existing pine trees were retained to give a pleasing effect around the chapel. For color around the cemetery, rhododendron
Rhododendron
Rhododendron is a genus of over 1 000 species of woody plants in the heath family, most with showy flowers...
s, azalea
Azalea
Azaleas are flowering shrubs comprising two of the eight subgenera of the genus Rhododendron, Pentanthera and Tsutsuji . Azaleas bloom in spring, their flowers often lasting several weeks...
and heather
Calluna
Calluna vulgaris is the sole species in the genus Calluna in the family Ericaceae. It is a low-growing perennial shrub growing to tall, or rarely to and taller, and is found widely in Europe and Asia Minor on acidic soils in open sunny situations and in moderate shade...
were planted.
The chapel
The chapel memorial was dedicated in 1929 and designed by Swartwout and Cresswell. It is located in the northwest side of the cemetery. Engraved above the entrance is the tribute “PERPETUAL LIGHT UPON THEM SHINES.” A classic white stone building of Portland limestone, quarried on the Isle of PortlandIsle of Portland
The Isle of Portland is a limestone tied island, long by wide, in the English Channel. Portland is south of the resort of Weymouth, forming the southernmost point of the county of Dorset, England. A tombolo over which runs the A354 road connects it to Chesil Beach and the mainland. Portland and...
, Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, the interior is decorated with religious, military and patriotic symbols. The interior has soft tan-hued stone, with an altar, two oak pews, flags and carved doorways. There are 18 stained glass windows, each bearing the names of American States and Territories of 1918. There are unit insignia worked into the glass and the branches of service for the Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard.
Engraved into the walls of the chapel are the names of 563 missing Americans. Most were lost at sea and their remains were never recovered or could not be positively identified. Included on the walls of the chapel are the names of all hands from the USCGC cutter Tampa
USCGC Tampa (1912)
USCGC Tampa was an Ungala-class cutter that served in the US Revenue Cutter Service, the US Coast Guard, and the US Navy. It was sunk with the highest US combat casualty loss in World War I .-US Revenue Cutter Service:...
, the largest loss of American lives at sea in the war. The cutter was in service for 11 months, until the night of 26 September 1918, when it was attacked in the Bristol Channel
Bristol Channel
The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from Devon and Somerset in South West England. It extends from the lower estuary of the River Severn to the North Atlantic Ocean...
. All 115 hands, as well as 16 passengers, were lost. Another naval disaster was the USS Alcedo
USS Alcedo (SP-166)
USS Alcedo was a yacht in the United States Navy. She was the first American vessel lost in World War I.Alcedo was built in 1895 at Glasgow, Scotland, by D. and W. Henderson and Company. She was purchased by the Navy on 1 June 1917 from Mr. George W. C. Drexel of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and...
, a former pleasure yacht that converted to a Navy escort, and the first American ship lost in the war. It was struck by a torpedo on 17 December 1917 and lost 21 men. Also included on the wall are the names of the 11 men of the USCGC Seneca
USCGC Seneca (1908)
USCGC Seneca had an interesting and varied history. Fighting submarines in World War I, making the International Ice Patrol, capturing rum runners in the Prohibition era, saving lives from Greenland to Puerto Rico, from Gibraltar to the Gulf of Mexico, participating in colorful ceremonies and...
who were lost on 16 September 1918, while attempting to assist the steamship Wellington.
Notable names
There is a lone Medal of HonorMedal of Honor
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States government. It is bestowed by the President, in the name of Congress, upon members of the United States Armed Forces who distinguish themselves through "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his or her...
recipient honored at Brookwood American Cemetery. Gunner's Mate First Class Osmond Ingram
Osmond Ingram
Osmond Kelly Ingram was a sailor in the United States Navy during World War I who received the Medal of Honor posthumously.-Biography:...
was the first sailor to receive the award in World War I. On 15 October 1917
Action of 15 October 1917
The Action of 15 October 1917 was a naval engagement of World War I between Imperial Germany and the United States off the coast of Mind Head, Ireland.-Action:...
, Ingram was serving on the USS Cassin
USS Cassin (DD-43)
The first USS Cassin was the lead ship of her class of destroyers in the United States Navy during World War I. She was later transferred to the United States Coast Guard, where she was designated CG-1...
. He spotted an incoming torpedo and attempted to release the ship’s load of depth charges before the torpedo struck the ship on the aft side. The torpedo struck the ship before he could accomplish his purpose and Ingram was killed by the explosion. Ingram’s body was never recovered; his name is engraved in gold on the wall of the chapel with other crewmen of the Cassin. Other notables are several nurses who perished and are interred in the cemetery.
Reception room
The office of the cemetery superintendent for the ABMC is next to the Reception Room. The room is a cozy location with a restroom and comfortable chairs. Included in the Reception Room is a guest book and framed portraits of every chairman of the ABMC, beginning with General Pershing. Over the carved wood fireplace is a Purple HeartPurple Heart
The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York...
, presented to the cemetery in 1965. The accompanying certificate is signed by President Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon B. Johnson
Lyndon Baines Johnson , often referred to as LBJ, was the 36th President of the United States after his service as the 37th Vice President of the United States...
.