128-444: Silksworth is a suburb of the City of Sunderland , Tyne and Wear . The area can be distinguished into two parts, old Silksworth, the original village and township which has existed since the early middle ages, and New Silksworth, the industrial age colliery village which expanded north west of the original settlement. The former colliery being situated to the north west of the village near to
256-593: A backyard in Hallu , France. In April 2013, the remains of four British soldiers discovered by a French farmer clearing land with a metal detector in 2009 were re-interred at H.A.C. Cemetery near Arras , France. In March 2014, the remains of 20 Commonwealth and 30 German soldiers were discovered in Vendin-le-Vieil , France, with the Commonwealth soldiers being subsequently reburied at Loos British Cemetery. When
384-558: A downturn in demand for Sunderland built ships toward the end of the 20th century. The last shipyard in Sunderland closed in 1988. St Benedict Biscop was adopted as the city's patron saint in March 2004. The Local Government Act 1972 created two different two-tier systems for local administration, with different division of functions. As a metropolitan authority, Sunderland retained responsibility for waste collection, although disposal of
512-451: A few exceptions, due to local geological conditions, the cemeteries follow the same design and uniform aesthetic all over the world. This makes the cemeteries easily recognisable and distinguishes them from war graves administered by other groups or countries. A typical cemetery is surrounded by a low wall or hedge and with a wrought-iron gate entrance. For cemeteries in France and Belgium,
640-536: A heart attack whilst on stage in 1976. Sunderland is home to a Nissan car manufacturing plant . Over recent years Sunderland city centre has seen a re-development of the Sunniside area taking place, with new bars, cafes and retailers opening their doors on the Eastern side of the city. The Sunniside area now includes an Empire Cinema, Gala Casino and many surrounding eateries. The Bridges Shopping Centre covers much of
768-417: A hospital radio station – Radio Sunderland for Hospitals , and can receive other north-eastern independent radio stations Hits Radio North East , Greatest Hits North East , Capital North East , Heart North East , Nation Radio North East and Smooth North East . The current regional BBC radio station is BBC Radio Newcastle . The city is covered by BBC North East and Cumbria and ITV Tyne Tees , which has
896-450: A land tablet near the entrance or along a wall identifies the cemetery grounds as having been provided by the French or Belgian governments. All but the smallest cemeteries contain a register with an inventory of the burials, a plan of the plots and rows, and a basic history of the cemetery. The register is located within a metal cupboard that is marked with a cross located in either the wall near
1024-453: A large part in the formation of the new mining community of Silksworth with the input of miners and their families. The churchyard contains the Commonwealth war graves of 12 British servicemen of World War I and 4 of World War II . St Leonard's RC Church, Silksworth. St Leonard's Roman Catholic Church opened in 1873, four years after Silksworth Colliery opened in 1869. The funding for
1152-506: A limited area, like along the Western Front or Gallipoli peninsula , mobile teams of gardeners operate from a local base. Elsewhere, larger cemeteries have their own dedicated staff while small cemeteries are usually tended by a single gardener working part-time. The affairs of the CWGC are overseen by a board of commissioners. The president of the board is HRH Princess Anne, Princess Royal ,
1280-407: A memorial. War dead are commemorated uniformly and equally, irrespective of military or civil rank, race or creed. The commission is currently responsible for the continued commemoration of 1.7 million deceased Commonwealth military service members in 153 countries. Since its inception, the commission has constructed approximately 2,500 war cemeteries and numerous memorials. The commission
1408-411: A mixture of floribunda roses and herbaceous perennials . Low-growing plants are chosen for areas immediately in front of headstones, ensuring that inscriptions are not obscured and preventing soil from splashing back during rain. In cemeteries where there are pedestal grave markers, dwarf varieties of plants are used instead. The absence of any form of paving between the headstone rows contributes to
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#17328695601371536-678: A number of glass sculptures. Sunderland has produced a modest number of musicians that have gone on to reach international fame, most notably Dave Stewart of the Eurythmics . Kenickie , which featured Lauren Laverne on vocals, also achieved a top ten album and wide critical acclaim in the mid-to-late 1990s. In recent years, a thriving underground music scene in Sunderland has helped the likes of Smalltown Heroes , The futureheads , Field Music , and more recently Frankie & The Heartstrings gain national recognition. Other famous Sunderland musicians include punk rockers The Toy Dolls , who broke
1664-636: A record of Commonwealth civilian war deaths. A supplemental chapter was added to the Imperial War Graves Commission's charter on 7 February 1941, empowering the organisation to collect and record the names of civilians who died from enemy action during the Second World War, which resulted in the creation of the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour. The roll eventually contained the names of nearly 67,000 civilians. The Commission and
1792-565: A regional office in the university's Media Centre. Sunderland was named "The Facebook Capital of Britain" by the BBC in February 2010. The statistics showed that people in Sunderland were more likely to log on to the social networking site than anywhere else in the UK. The only professional sporting team in Sunderland is the football team, Sunderland A.F.C. , which was formed in 1879, and plays home games at
1920-467: A sense of peace in a setting, in contrast to traditionally bleak graveyards. Recommendations given by Arthur William Hill , the assistant director of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew enabled the commission to develop cemetery layouts and architectural structures that took into account the placement of suitable plant life. Combining structural and horticultural elements were not unfamiliar to
2048-489: A township independent of Sunderland. Carroll's connection with Sunderland, and the area's history, is documented in Bryan Talbot 's 2007 graphic novel Alice in Sunderland . More recently, Sunderland-born Terry Deary , writer of the series of Horrible Histories books, has achieved fame and success, and many others such as thriller writer Sheila Quigley , are following his lead. The Salford-born painter, L. S. Lowry ,
2176-459: Is "A Soldier of the Great War known unto God ". Some headstones bear the text "believed to be buried in this cemetery" when the grave's exact location within the cemetery is not known. In some cases soldiers were buried in collective graves and distinguishing one body from another was not possible and thus one headstone covers more than one grave. The headstone does not denote any specific details of
2304-473: 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. The commission is also responsible for commemorating Commonwealth civilians who died as a result of enemy action during the Second World War . The commission
2432-419: Is currently responsible for the care of war dead at over 23,000 separate burial sites and the maintenance of more than 200 memorials worldwide. In addition to commemorating Commonwealth military service members, the commission maintains, under arrangement with applicable governments, over 40,000 non-Commonwealth war graves and over 25,000 non-war military and civilian graves. The commission operates through
2560-570: Is headquartered in Maidenhead , England. Offices or agencies that are each responsible for a specific geographical area manage the worldwide affairs of the organisation. They are: The CWGC's work is funded predominantly by grants from the governments of the six member states. In the fiscal year 2020/21, these grants amounted to £66.1 million of the organisation's £74.5 million of income. This equates to an approximate cost of CA$ 85 per commemorated war dead. The contribution from each country
2688-413: Is not known will contain the superscript " Buried elsewhere in this Cemetery ", "Known to be buried in this cemetery" or "Believed to be buried in this cemetery" . Many headstones are for unidentified casualties; they consequently bear only what could be discovered from the body. The epitaph, developed by Rudyard Kipling , that appears on the graves of unidentified soldiers for which no details are known
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#17328695601372816-516: Is proportionate to the number of graves the CWGC maintains on behalf of that country. The percentage of total annual contributions for which each country is responsible is United Kingdom 79%, Canada 10%, Australia 6%, New Zealand 2%, South Africa 2% and India 1%. Immediately following the First World War, the British Army remained responsible for the exhumation of remains. The Western Front
2944-556: Is the largest theatre in the North East, reopened in December 2004 following a major redevelopment allowing it to stage West End shows such as Miss Saigon , Starlight Express and My Fair Lady , all of which have been performed at the Empire. The Empire is the only theatre between Leeds and Glasgow large enough to accommodate such shows. It has also played host to an annual season from
3072-452: The 1918 flu pandemic . The applicable periods of consideration are 4 August 1914 to 31 August 1921 for the First World War and 3 September 1939 to 31 December 1947 for the Second World War. The end date for the First World War period is the official end of the war, while for the Second World War the Commission selected a date approximately the same period after VE Day as the official end of
3200-732: The Beaumont-Hamel Memorial by Newfoundland. The programme of commemorating the dead of the Great War was considered essentially complete with the inauguration of the Thiepval Memorial in 1932, though the Vimy Memorial would not be finished until 1936, the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial until 1938 and stonemasons were still conducting work on the Menin Gate when Germany invaded Belgium in 1940. The only memorial created by
3328-484: The Birmingham Royal Ballet for over ten years. The Royalty Theatre is the home of the amateur Royalty Theatre group who also put on a number of low-budget productions throughout the year. Renowned film producer David Parfitt belonged to this company before achieving worldwide fame and is now a patron of the theatre. The Empire also played host to the final performance of comic actor Sid James , who died of
3456-534: The City of Sunderland , is a metropolitan borough with city status in the metropolitan county of Tyne and Wear , England. It is named after its largest settlement, Sunderland , spanning a far larger area, including nearby towns including Washington , Hetton-le-Hole and Houghton-le-Spring , as well as the surrounding villages and hamlets. The district also forms a large majority of Wearside which includes Chester-le-Street in County Durham . The district
3584-575: The Dean of Westminster reached an agreement that the roll would eventually be placed in Westminster Abbey but not until the roll was complete and hostilities had ended. The Commission handed over the first six volumes to the Dean of Westminster on 21 February 1956; it added the final volume to the showcase in 1958. Following the Second World War, the Commission recognised that the word 'Imperial' within its name
3712-683: The Gaza cemetery , which contains 3,691 graves, allegedly in retaliation for the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal. On 24 February 2012, during the Libyan Civil War , Islamist militia damaged over 200 headstones in the Benghazi war cemetery, as well as the central memorial. In April 2021, a special committee of the CWGC published a report on historical inequalities in commemoration, concerning "failures to properly commemorate black and Asian troops" after
3840-512: The Gilley Law . The population of the ward was 10,931 at the 2011 census . The area of Silksworth has been subject to human activity since the Bronze Age , with archaeological sites of ancient barrows having been discovered on the surrounding hills. The name of the place itself is thought to be of Anglo-Saxon origin and means 'the worþ (enclosure) of Sigelac (a man's name)'. The first reference to
3968-492: The Labour Party : In the 1992, 1997, 2001 and 2005 general elections, the former Sunderland South constituency was the first to declare the results, and the tradition was continued by the new Houghton and Sunderland South seat in 2010 and 2015. Sunderland is twinned with two cities: Essen , Germany, and Saint-Nazaire , France. It also has Friendship Agreements with Washington, D.C. , US; and Harbin and Nanjing , both in
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4096-673: The People's Republic of China . Sunderland and Washington share historical links, as the ancestors of the first President of the United States of America, George Washington , lived in Washington Old Hall , which is within the municipal boundaries of Sunderland. The Mackem accent and dialect is often mistaken for Geordie by people not from the region, as the two tongues sound similar in pronunciation and diction. The Sunderland dialect also has several variations between different areas of
4224-567: The Queen's Golden Jubilee the city petitioned to be allowed a Lord Mayor , but was unsuccessful. Although the city does not have a cathedral , as it is located in the Diocese of Durham , it does have Sunderland Minster . Between 1939 and 1945 the Wear yards launched 245 merchant ships totalling 1.5 million tons, a quarter of the merchant tonnage produced in the UK at this period. Competition from overseas caused
4352-1003: The Thiepval Memorial on the Somme and the Arras Memorial designed by Edwin Lutyens; and the Basra Memorial in Iraq designed by Edward Prioleau Warren . The Dominions and India also erected memorials on which they commemorated their missing: the Neuve-Chapelle Memorial for the forces of India, the Vimy Memorial by Canada, the Villers-Bretonneux Memorial by Australia, the Delville Wood Memorial by South Africa and
4480-659: The 1980s, with regular maintenance being impractical since after the Gulf War . The commission also provides support for war graves outside its traditional mandate. In 1982, the British Ministry of Defence requested the commission's assistance to design and construct cemeteries in the Falkland Islands for those killed during the Falklands War . Although these cemeteries are not Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemeteries,
4608-408: The 49,000-seat-capacity Stadium of Light . Sunderland also has the north-east's top women's football team, Sunderland A.F.C. Women , who have been financially separated from the men's team since summer 2005. They currently play in the top tier of English women's football, FA Women's Premier League National Division , despite their financial struggles. Sunderland's longest stadium occupancy so far
4736-541: The American Graves Registration Service . In 1918, three of the most eminent architects of their day, Sir Herbert Baker , Sir Reginald Blomfield , and Sir Edwin Lutyens were appointed as the organization's initial Principal Architects. Rudyard Kipling was appointed literary advisor for the language used for memorial inscriptions. In 1920, the Commission built three experimental cemeteries at Le Treport , Forceville and Louvencourt , following
4864-501: The American Graves Registration were permitted to repatriate the remains of an unknown number of American citizens who were in service of a Commonwealth nation during the Second World War. In 1949, the Commission completed Dieppe Canadian War Cemetery , the first of 559 new cemeteries and 36 new memorials. Eventually, the Commission erected over 350,000 new headstones, many from Hopton Wood stone . The wider scale of
4992-527: The Care of Soldiers' Graves was created with the intention of taking over the work of the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries after the war. The government felt that it was more appropriate to entrust the work to a specially appointed body rather than to any existing government department. By early 1917, a number of members of the committee believed a formal imperial organisation would be needed to care for
5120-504: The Commission are no exception. The Commission believes that graffiti and damage to stonework are usually the work of young people, noting that the number of incidents increases when schoolchildren are on school holidays. Metal theft is also a problem: determined thieves target the bronze swords from the Cross of Sacrifice, which are now replaced with replicas made of fibreglass. The vandalism of Commission cemeteries has also been connected to
5248-589: The Commission manages the administrative responsibilities for them. Since 2005, the commission has carried out similar management duties on behalf of the British Ministry of Defence for cemeteries and graves of British and Imperial soldiers who died during the Second Boer War . In 2003, Veterans Affairs Canada employed the commission to develop an approach to locate grave markers for which the Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs has responsibility. As of 2011,
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5376-594: The Commission that was not in the form of a monument or cemetery was the Memorial Ophthalmic Laboratory at Giza , Egypt —complete with library, and bacteriology and pathology departments—as its memorial to men of the Egyptian Labour Corps and Camel Transport Corps . Its erection was agreed with local political pressure. From the start of the Second World War in 1939, the Commission organised grave registration units and, planning ahead based on
5504-482: The Cross of Sacrifice, the design for the stone deliberately avoided "shapes associated with particular religions". The geometry of the structure was based on studies of the Parthenon . Each stone is 12 feet (3.5 m) long and 5 feet (1.5 m) high. The shape of the stone has been compared both to that of a sarcophagus and an altar . The feature was designed using the principle of entasis . The subtle curves in
5632-499: The Fallen . The illustrated booklet was intended to soften the impact of Kenyon's report as it included illustrations of cemeteries with mature trees and shrubs; contrasting the bleak landscapes depicted in published battlefield photos. There was an immediate public outcry following the publication of the reports, particularly with regards to the decision to not repatriate the bodies of the dead. The reports generated considerable discussion in
5760-667: The First World War was after the 1918 Armistice. Civilians who died as a result of enemy action during the Second World War are commemorated differently from those that died as a result of military service. They are commemorated by name through the Civilian War Dead Roll of Honour located in St George's Chapel in Westminster Abbey. In addition to its mandated duties, the commission maintains, under arrangement with applicable governments, over 40,000 non-Commonwealth war graves and over 25,000 non-war military and civilian graves. As well as
5888-421: The First World War, individual commemoration of war dead was often on an ad hoc basis and was almost exclusively limited to commissioned officers. However, the war required mobilisation of a significant percentage of the population, either as volunteers or through conscription . An expectation had consequently arisen that individual soldiers would expect to be commemorated, even if they were low-ranking members of
6016-572: The Labour Party, three councillors resigned the whip at the end of 2006 and, joined by one of the Liberal Democrat members formed an independent group, which is the minority party in opposition. At the elections of May 2007 , Labour lost three seats to the Conservatives, whilst former Labour Mayor Julianna Heron lost to an independent: the same person who had defeated her husband in 2003 and who
6144-608: The Passenger Transport Authority is exercised not by committees of directly elected county councillors but by nominees chosen by the elected members of the five district authorities. Sunderland has not had a separate police force since 1967, when the Borough of Sunderland Police merged with Durham Constabulary. The city is now part of the Northumbria Police Force area. This force was set up in 1974, and covers
6272-964: The Red Cross for this purpose. In March 1915, with the support of Nevil Macready , Adjutant-General of the British Expeditionary Force , Ware's work was given official recognition and support by the Imperial War Office and the unit was transferred to the British Army as the Graves Registration Commission. The new Graves Registration Commission had over 31,000 graves of British and Imperial soldiers registered by October 1915 and 50,000 registered by May 1916. When municipal graveyards began to overfill Ware began negotiations with various local authorities to acquire land for further cemeteries. Ware began with an agreement with France to build joint British and French cemeteries under
6400-624: The Republic of South Africa to the United Kingdom, Jeremiah Nyamane Mamabolo; the High Commissioner for India to the United Kingdom, Vikram Doraiswami ; the High Commissioner for Canada to the United Kingdom, Ralph E. Goodale ; Keryn James; Sir Tim Hitchens; Vice Admiral Peter Hudson ; Hon Philip Dunne; Dame Diana Johnson ; Vasuki Shastry; Dame Judith Mayhew Jonas ; Lieutenant General Sir Ben Bathurst ; Air Marshal Sir Stuart Atha . The CWGC
6528-587: The Roll of Honour maintained at Westminster Abbey. The majority of the casualties commemorated on the Brookwood 1914–1918 Memorial are servicemen and women identified by the In From The Cold Project as having died while in care of their families and were not commemorated by the Commission at the time. Cemeteries, including those of war dead, are targets for vandalism. The gravestones, cemeteries and buildings of
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#17328695601376656-698: The Second World War and until the German reunification because it was located in an area occupied by Russian forces and was not entirely rebuilt until 2005. The Six-Day War and War of Attrition resulted in the destruction of Port Tewfik Memorial and Aden Memorial, and the death of a Commission gardener at Suez War Memorial Cemetery. During the Lebanese Civil War two cemeteries in Beirut were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. The maintenance of war graves and memorials in Iraq has remained difficult since Iran–Iraq War in
6784-430: The Second World War, coupled with manpower shortages and unrest in some countries, meant that the construction and restoration programmes took much longer. In Albania the graves of 52 of the 54 graves of British SOE personnel had been reburied in Tirana before Major McIntosh from the CWGC Florence base was expelled by the new regime. Three-quarters of the original graves had been in "difficult" or remote locations. Following
6912-456: The Second World War. Commonwealth military service members are commemorated by name on either a headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on a memorial. As a result, the commission is currently responsible for the care of war dead at over 23,000 separate burial sites and maintenance of more than 200 memorials worldwide. The vast majority of burial sites are pre-existing communal or municipal cemeteries and parish churchyards located in
7040-454: The Silksworth and Tunstall areas. The local area was mainly farmland and most people worked on the land. However about 350 were men and their families who were constructing the new colliery. To exploit the rich coal reserves in the area the Silksworth Colliery shaft was sunk in 1869, funded by the Londonderry Coal company. Ten years later in 1879 the local population had risen to 4707 for the Silksworth and Tunstall areas. The increase in population
7168-598: The United Kingdom, however the commission has itself constructed approximately 2,500 war cemeteries worldwide. The commission has also constructed or commissioned memorials to commemorate the dead who have no known grave; the largest of these is the Thiepval Memorial . The Commission only commemorates those who have died during the designated war years, while in Commonwealth military service or of causes attributable to service. Death in service included not only those killed in combat but other causes such as those that died in training accidents, air raids and due to disease such as
7296-404: The Victoria Cross or George Cross emblem. Sometimes a soldier employed a pseudonym because he was too young to serve or was sought by law enforcement; in such cases his primary name is shown along with the notation " served as" . Some American citizens who served with Commonwealth forces during the Second World War have the notation "Of U.S.A." . Those whose exact burial location within a cemetery
7424-408: The building of the church and rectory was provided by Priscilla Maria Beckwith of Silksworth House. Located behind Blind Lane was the Ebenezer Chapel 1883 (now the Independent Methodist Church). The Temperance Hall 1912, located at the top of Tunstall Terrace, is now the Calvary Christian Fellowship. City of Sunderland Sunderland ( / ˈ s ʌ n d ər l ə n d / ), also known as
7552-426: The cemetery entrance or in a shelter within the cemetery. More recently, in larger sites, a stainless steel notice gives details of the respective military campaign. The headstones within the cemetery are of a uniform size and design and mark plots of equal size. The cemetery grounds are, except in drier climates, grass-covered with a floral border around the headstones. There is also an absence of any paving between
7680-411: The chairman is the United Kingdom's secretary of State for Defence , John Healey MP , and the vice chairman is Vice Admiral Peter Hudson CB CBE . Claire Horton was appointed Director-General of the CWGC in 2020 The members are: the High Commissioner for New Zealand to the United Kingdom, Phil Goff ; the High Commissioner of Australia to the United Kingdom, Stephen Smith ; the High Commissioner of
7808-419: The city centre and was opened in 1988. It is currently owned by Land Securities Group after they purchased the site in 1990. The centre receives over 26 million shopping visits every year. Sunderland has two local newspapers: the daily evening tabloid, the Sunderland Echo , founded in 1873, and the Sunderland Star— a free newspaper . It also has its own community radio station Spark Sunderland , and
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#17328695601377936-461: The city, as demonstrated when the hoax tapes purporting to be of the Yorkshire Ripper were analysed. The tapes were made by a man who came to be known as Wearside Jack , and were thought by linguistic experts to be made by someone specifically from the Castletown area of Sunderland. When the perpetrator, John Humble was eventually caught he confirmed that he did indeed attend school in the Castletown area of Sunderland in his childhood. Lewis Carroll
8064-455: The commission conducts a twelve-year cyclical inspection programme of Canadian veterans' markers installed at the expense of the Government of Canada . In 2008, an exploratory excavation discovered mass graves on the edge of Pheasant Wood outside of Fromelles . Two-hundred and fifty British and Australian bodies were excavated from five mass graves which were interred in the newly constructed Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery . This
8192-445: The commission to carry out its work assured of support for its principles. The 1920 United States Public Law 66-175 ensured American citizens who were killed while in service of a Commonwealth nation were eligible for burial in national cemeteries in the United States However, the commission made no repatriation policy exception for American citizens and attempts to retrieve loved ones from Commonwealth cemeteries were not supported by
8320-520: The commission's architects. Sir Edwin Lutyens furthered his long-standing working relationship with horticulturist Gertrude Jekyll , whose devotion to traditional cottage garden plants and roses greatly influenced the appearance of the cemeteries. Where possible, indigenous plants were utilised to enhance sentimental associations with the gardens of home. Variety in texture, height and timing of floral display were equally important horticultural considerations. The beds around each headstone are planted with
8448-441: The commission, or won competitions for the Commission memorials, included George Salway Nicol, Harold Chalton Bradshaw , Verner Owen Rees, Gordon H. Holt, and Henry Philip Cart de Lafontaine. In January 1944, Edward Maufe was appointed Principal Architect for the UK. Maufe worked extensively for the commission for 25 years until 1969, becoming Chief Architect and also succeeding Kenyon as Artistic Advisor. Together with Maufe,
8576-465: The commission, with the support of the Red Cross, began to dispatch photographic prints and cemetery location information in answer to the requests. The Graves Registration Commission became the Directorate of Graves Registration and Enquiries in the spring of 1916 in recognition of the fact that the scope of work began to extend beyond simple grave registration and began to include responding to enquiries from relatives of those killed. The directorate's work
8704-505: The condition that cemeteries respected certain dimensions, were accessible by public road, were in the vicinity of medical aid stations and were not too close to towns or villages. Similar negotiations began with the Belgian government. As reports of the grave registration work became public, the commission began to receive letters of enquiry and requests for photographs of graves from relatives of deceased soldiers. By 1917, 17,000 photographs had been dispatched to relatives. In March 1915,
8832-435: The continued financial support of the member states: United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa. The current and first ever Patron of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is King Charles III . The current president of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is Anne, Princess Royal . At the outbreak of the First World War in 1914, Fabian Ware , a director of the Rio Tinto Company , found that he
8960-444: The council was Labour 66, Conservative 6 and independent 3. After the 2019 Sunderland City Council election , Sunderland became one of the few British councils with all five major parties represented. The council make up was Labour 51, Conservative 12, Liberal Democrats 8, UKIP 3 and Green Party 1. Since major boundary changes in 2010, there are three constituencies covering the City of Sunderland, all currently regarded as safe for
9088-568: The death except for its date, and even then only if it is known, and are deliberately ambiguous about the cause of death. Due to local conditions it was sometimes necessary for the commission to deviate from its standard design. In places prone to extreme weather or earthquakes, such as Thailand and Turkey, stone-faced pedestal markers are used instead of the normal headstones. These measures are intended to prevent masonry being damaged during earthquakes or sinking into sodden ground. In Italy, headstones were carved from Chiampo Perla limestone because it
9216-585: The design, if extended, would form a sphere 1,801 feet 8 inches (549.15 m) in diameter. Every grave is marked with a headstone . Each headstone contains the national emblem or regimental badge, rank, name, unit, date of death and age of each casualty inscribed above an appropriate religious symbol and a more personal dedication chosen by relatives. The headstones use a standard upper case lettering, Headstone Standard Alphabet, designed by MacDonald Gill . Individual graves are arranged, where possible, in straight rows and marked by uniform headstones,
9344-488: The dissolution of Sunderland Nissan F.C. , Sunderland itself now has only one non-league side, Sunderland Ryhope Community Association F.C. who now play in the Northern League Division One after a successful promotion campaign in the 2009/10 season. However, Washington F.C. also hail from Washington in the city. Commonwealth War Graves Commission The Commonwealth War Graves Commission ( CWGC )
9472-425: The end of 1919, the commission had spent £7,500, and this figure rose to £250,000 in 1920 as construction of cemeteries and memorials increased. By 1921, the commission had established 1,000 cemeteries which were ready for headstone erections, and burials. Between 1920 and 1923, the commission was shipping 4,000 headstones a week to France. In many cases, the Commission closed small cemeteries and concentrated
9600-435: The end of the First World War. Once land for cemeteries and memorials had been guaranteed, the enormous task of recording the details of the dead could begin. By 1918, some 587,000 graves had been identified and a further 559,000 casualties were registered as having no known grave. The scale, and associated high number of casualties, of the war produced an entirely new attitude towards the commemoration of war dead. Previous to
9728-514: The experience gained from the First World War, earmarked land for use as cemeteries. When the war began turning in favour of the Allies, the commission was able to begin restoring its First World War cemeteries and memorials. It also began the task of commemorating the 600,000 Commonwealth casualties from the Second World War. As with the First World War, casualties were commemorated with uniform memorials and bodies should not be repatriated. Exceptionally,
9856-518: The first fought under the new boundaries, saw little change in the political representation of the city as a whole, with 61 Labour, 12 Conservative, and 2 Liberal Democrat councillors elected. The Conservative party won all three seats in a new ward whose boundaries spanned several old wards. The Liberal Democrats stronghold ward was abolished entirely, and became part of four new wards, and the Liberal Democrat councillors elected in 2004 were from two very different areas. Following further disputes within
9984-466: The graves into larger ones. By 1927, when the majority of construction had been completed, over 500 cemeteries had been built, with 400,000 headstones, a thousand Crosses of Sacrifice, and 400 Stones of Remembrance. The commission had also been mandated to individually commemorate each soldier who had no known grave, which amounted to 315,000 in France and Belgium alone. The Commission initially decided to build 12 monuments on which to commemorate
10112-593: The graves. With the help of Edward, Prince of Wales , Ware submitted a memorandum to the Imperial War Conference in 1917 suggesting that an imperial organisation be constituted. The suggestion was accepted and on 21 May 1917 the Imperial War Graves Commission was established by Royal Charter, with the Prince of Wales serving as president, Secretary of State for War Lord Derby as chairman and Ware as vice-chairman. The commission's undertakings began in earnest at
10240-455: The headstone rows which is intended to make the cemetery feel like a traditional walled garden where visitors could experience a sense of peace. However, Carter and Jackson argue that the uniform aesthetics are designed to evoke a positive experience which deliberately masks and sanitises the nature of the war deaths. Typically, cemeteries of more than 40 graves contain a Cross of Sacrifice designed by architect Reginald Blomfield . This cross
10368-471: The house into apartments were proposed in 2008 but the conversion of the house into apartments was never carried out. The latest proposal for redevelopment of Doxford House was to restore the property back into a private family residence. The Miners Hall, Blind Lane, Silksworth The Miners Hall is located in Blind Lane, Silksworth. The hall is a prominent building in Blind Lane and was built in 1893. The hall
10496-404: The inter-war period and after the Second World War, included William Reid Dick , Ernest Gillick , Basil Gotto , Alfred Turner , Laurence A. Turner , Walter Gilbert , Henry Poole , Vernon Hill , Robert Anning Bell , Ferdinand Victor Blundstone , Joseph Armitage, and Gilbert Bayes . Structural design has always played an important part in the commission's cemeteries. Apart from
10624-546: The largest settlement in the north east of England. The metropolitan borough was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972 by the merger of several districts of County Durham – Washington Urban District , Houghton-le-Spring Urban District and Hetton Urban District – with the County Borough of Sunderland . The borough was granted city status on 20 May 1992 to celebrate the Queen's Ruby Jubilee . At
10752-460: The lease. On her death in 1968, she bequeathed the house and estate to Sunderland Corporation who gave the house its present name Doxford House, and turned the gardens of the house into Doxford Park. In 1989 the house became a students’ hall of residence for Sunderland University , and from about 2000 to 2006 was occupied by the Lazarus Foundation, a drug rehabilitation charity. Plans to turn
10880-615: The location appeared in the Middle Ages and is first referenced in a list of appendages of South Bishopwearmouth in King Æthelstan ’s gift to the See of Durham in 930 AD. The area became a township of Bishopwearmouth , of which neighbouring Farringdon was a hamlet. New Silksworth emerged as a coal mining village in the 19th century. In 1871, according to the Census there were approximately 800 people living in
11008-520: The main Principal Architects for France and Belgium (Baker, Blomfield and Lutyens), there were Principal Architects appointed for other regions as well. Sir Robert Lorimer was Principal Architect for Italy, Macedonia and Egypt, while Sir John James Burnet was Principal Architect for Palestine and Gallipoli, assisted by Thomas Smith Tait . The Principal Architect for Mesopotamia was Edward Prioleau Warren. As well as these senior architects, there
11136-595: The majority of the dead and the sword represents the military character of the cemetery, intended to link British soldiers and the Christian concept of self-sacrifice. Cemeteries with more than 1000 burials typically have a Stone of Remembrance , designed by Edwin Lutyens with the inscription " Their name liveth for evermore " . The concept of the Stone of Remembrance stone was developed by Rudyard Kipling to commemorate those of all faiths and none respectively. In contrast to
11264-526: The military. A committee under Frederic Kenyon , Director of the British Museum , presented a report to the Commission in November 1918 detailing how it envisioned the development of the cemeteries. Two key elements of this report were that bodies should not be repatriated and that uniform memorials should be used to avoid class distinctions. Beyond the logistical nightmare of returning home so many corpses, it
11392-526: The missing; each memorial being located at the site of an important battle along the Western Front. After resistance from the French committee responsible for the approvals of memorials on French territory, the Commission revised their plan and reduced the number of memorials, and in some cases built memorials to the missing in existing cemeteries rather than as separate structures. Reginald Blomfield's Menin Gate
11520-428: The only Liberal Democrat as a "Liberal/Democrat" group. Three councillors resigned from the Labour Party following disputes over the selection of candidates for the 2004 elections. Two became independent members; one joined the Liberal Democrat party, becoming group leader after the 2004 municipal elections. The reorganisation of electoral areas saw major changes in all but two wards, but the elections of 10 June 2004,
11648-456: The other Principal Architects appointed during and after the Second World War were Hubert Worthington , Louis de Soissons , Philip Hepworth and Colin St Clair Oakes . Leading sculptors that worked on the memorials and cemeteries after the First World War included Eric Henri Kennington , Charles Thomas Wheeler , Gilbert Ledward , and Charles Sargeant Jagger . Other sculptors, both in
11776-578: The participation of Commonwealth countries in contemporary conflicts. In the 1970s, during the Troubles , Commission cemeteries in Ireland experienced vandalism. Vandals defaced the central memorial of the Étaples Military Cemetery in northern France with anti-British and anti-American graffiti on 20 March 2003 immediately after the beginning of the Iraq War . On 9 May 2004, thirty-three headstones were demolished in
11904-489: The press which ultimately led to a heated debate in Parliament on 4 May 1920. Sir James Remnant started the debate, followed by speeches by William Burdett-Coutts in favour of the commission's principles and Robert Cecil speaking for those desiring repatriation and opposing uniformity of grave markers. Winston Churchill closed the debate and asked that the issue not proceed to a vote. Remnant withdrew his motion, allowing
12032-531: The principles outlined in the Kenyon report. Of these, the Forceville Communal Cemetery and Extension was agreed to be the most successful. Having consulted with garden designer Gertrude Jekyll , the architects created a walled cemetery with uniform headstones in a garden setting, augmented by Blomfield's Cross of Sacrifice and Lutyens' Stone of Remembrance . After some adjustments, Forceville became
12160-476: The property in his will to his friend Hendry Hopper. In 1831 Priscilla Hopper then heiress to the estate married William Beckwith of Thurcroft. He was High Sheriff of Durham in 1857. The Beckwiths moved to Shropshire in about 1890 and the house was let out. In 1902, Charles David Doxford of William Doxford & Sons Ship Builders, brother of Theodore Doxford, took out a 99-year lease on the 24-acre estate. On his death in 1935, his daughter, Aline Doxford bought out
12288-655: The public periodically results in the identification of previously buried casualties. The archival records of the commission are open to the public to permit individuals to conduct their own research. In December 2013, it was discovered that Second Lieutenant Philip Frederick Cormack, who was previously commemorated on the Arras Flying Services Memorial, had in fact been buried in a French military cemetery in Machelen , East Flanders in Belgium. Sergeant Leonard Maidment
12416-523: The remains of a Commonwealth soldier from the First or Second World War is discovered the commission is notified, and a Commission burial officer tries to collect any associated artefacts that may help identify the individual. The details are then registered and archived at the commission's headquarters. Evidence used for identification purposes may include artifacts found with the remains, anthropological data and DNA. Investigation of archival records by members of
12544-523: The shadow of Penshaw Monument , was attended by 30,000 visitors and featured Foo Fighters , Kasabian , KT Tunstall , Chemical Brothers and The Black Eyed Peas . The Empire Theatre sometimes plays host to music acts. In 2009, it hosts Jane McDonald and The Drifters among others. The Sunderland Stadium of Light has hosted regular concerts since 2009, including the likes of Oasis , Take That , Coldplay , Kings of Leon and Red Hot Chili Peppers . The Sunderland Empire Theatre , opened in 1907,
12672-558: The simplicity of the cemetery designs. Lawn paths add to the garden ambience and are irrigated during the dry season in countries where there is insufficient rain. Where irrigation is inappropriate or impractical, dry landscaping is an ecological alternative favoured by the commission's horticulturists, as is the case in Iraq. Drier areas require a different approach not only for lawns but also to plants and styles of planting. Similarly, there are separate horticultural considerations in tropical climates. When many cemeteries are concentrated within
12800-459: The sports complex include: Notable buildings: Doxford House, formerly Silksworth House. Doxford House is a derelict 18th-century manor house adjacent to Doxford Park in the Silksworth area of Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England. It is a Grade II* listed building The manor house formerly known as Silksworth House was constructed in 1775–1780 by William Johnson, who on his death in 1792 left
12928-452: The template for the commission's building programme. Cost overruns at all three experimental cemeteries necessitated some adjustments. To ensure future cemeteries remained within their budget the Commission decided to not build shelters in cemeteries that contained less than 200 graves, to not place a Stone of Remembrance in any cemetery with less than 400 graves, and to limit the height of cemetery walls to 1 metre (3.3 ft). At
13056-444: The three years following the conclusion of the general search 38,000 bodies were discovered. In the mid-1920s, 20 to 30 bodies were being discovered weekly. The discovery of remains of First and Second World War casualties remains a common occurrence, with approximately 30 bodies discovered annually. For example, in 2006 eight bodies of Canadian soldiers from the 78th Battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers), CEF were discovered in
13184-691: The top five of the charts with " Nellie the Elephant " in December 1984; the melodic hardcore punk band Leatherface ; the lead singer of dance outfit Olive , Ruth Ann Boyle , who achieved a UK chart-topper with " You're Not Alone " in May 1997 and has gone on to work with fellow chart-toppers Enigma ; and A Tribe of Toffs , who made number 21 with their cult hit " John Kettley is a Weatherman " in December 1988. On 7 and 8 May 2005, Sunderland played host to BBC Radio 1 's Big Weekend concert—the UK's largest free music festival. The event, held at Herrington Country Park in
13312-479: The understanding that these would be maintained by the French government. Ware eventually concluded that it was not prudent to leave the maintenance responsibilities solely to the French government and subsequently arranged for France to purchase the land (under the law of 29 December 1915 ), grant it in perpetuity, and leave the management and maintenance responsibilities to the British. The French government agreed under
13440-413: The vast majority of which are made of Portland stone . The original headstone dimensions were 30 inches (76 cm) tall, 15 in (38 cm) wide, and 3 in (7.6 cm) thick. Most headstones are inscribed with a cross, except for those deceased known to be atheist or non-Christian. In the case of burials of Victoria Cross or George Cross recipients, the regimental badge is supplemented by
13568-408: The war, the Commission implemented a five-year horticultural renovation programme which addressed neglect by 1950. Structural repairs, together with the backlog of maintenance tasks from before the war, took a further ten years to complete. With the increased number of civilian casualties compared with the First World War, Winston Churchill agreed to Ware's proposal that the commission also maintain
13696-511: The waste was a county function, and for education. In 1986, when Tyne and Wear Metropolitan County Council was abolished, most county functions became the responsibility of the constituent districts, whilst new joint boards assumed the co-ordinating roles in the county. Thus control over economic development, of the Museums and Archive Service, of the Tyne and Wear Fire and Civil Defence Authority and of
13824-461: The whole of Tyne and Wear plus the much larger but much less densely populated county of Northumberland . The city is unparished, except for Hetton-le-Hole which is a civil parish , and which has a town council . The city has had a Labour -controlled council since 1974, and often before that. After the elections of May 2003 the political structure was 63 Labour, 9 Conservative , and 1 independent . The only Liberal Party councillor sat with
13952-622: Was a frequent visitor to the area. He wrote most of Jabberwocky at Whitburn as well as " The Walrus and the Carpenter ". Some parts of the area are also widely believed to be the inspiration for his Alice in Wonderland stories, such as Hylton Castle and Backhouse Park. There is a statue to Carroll in Whitburn library. Lewis Carroll was also a visitor to the Rectory of Holy Trinity Church, Southwick; then
14080-520: Was a frequent visitor, staying in the Seaburn Hotel in Sunderland. Many of his paintings of seascapes and shipbuilding are based on Wearside scenes. The Northern Gallery for Contemporary Art on Fawcett Street and Sunderland Museum and Winter Gardens showcase exhibitions and installations from up-and-coming and established artists alike, with the latter holding an extensive collection of Lowry's work. The National Glass Centre on Liberty Way also exhibits
14208-578: Was a spacious building constructed of brick and stone. The building was used as a meeting place for the miners and their families, it was also used for social events, wedding receptions, engagement parties etc. The Silksworth Colliery Brass Band also practiced and performed in the hall. The Miners’ hall front facade and roof was recently refurbished. The hall is now currently used as a builder's storage facility. St Matthew’s Church, C of E Church, Silksworth St Matthew's Church opened in 1872, three years after Silksworth Colliery opened in 1869. The Church played
14336-544: Was a team of Assistant Architects who were actually responsible for many of the cemetery and memorial designs. These architects were younger, and many of them had served in the war. The Assistant Architects were: George Esselmont Gordon Leith, Wilfred Clement Von Berg , Charles Henry Holden (who in 1920 became a Principal Architect), William Harrison Cowlishaw , William Bryce Binnie , George Hartley Goldsmith, Frank Higginson, Arthur James Scott Hutton, Noel Ackroyd Rew, and John Reginald Truelove. Other architects that worked for
14464-634: Was also extended beyond the Western Front and into other theatres of war, with units deployed in Greece, Egypt and Mesopotamia. As the war continued, Ware and others became concerned about the fate of the graves in the post-war period. Following a suggestion by the British Army, the government appointed the National Committee for the Care of Soldiers' Graves in January 1916, with Edward, Prince of Wales agreeing to serve as president. The National Committee for
14592-505: Was designed to imitate medieval crosses found in churchyards in England with proportions more commonly seen in the Celtic cross . The cross is normally a freestanding four-point limestone Latin cross , mounted on an octagonal base, and ranging in height from 14 to 32 feet (4.3 to 9.8 m). A bronze longsword , blade down, is embedded on the face of the cross. This cross represents the faith of
14720-480: Was divided into sectors and combed for bodies by 12-man exhumation units. Between the Armistice and September 1921, the exhumation units reburied 204,695 bodies. After 1921, no further comprehensive search for bodies was undertaken, and in February 1921 responsibility for the cemeteries was transferred to the commission. Nevertheless, despite the rigour of the searches, bodies continued to be discovered in large numbers. In
14848-487: Was felt that repatriation would conflict with the feeling of brotherhood that had developed between serving ranks. An article in The Times on 17 February 1919 by Rudyard Kipling carried the commission's proposal to a wider audience and described what the graves would look like. The article entitled War Graves: Work of Imperial Commission: Mr. Kipling's Survey was quickly republished as an illustrated booklet, Graves of
14976-478: Was formed in 1974 as part of the provisions of the Local Government Act 1972 and is an amalgamation of four former local government districts of County Durham . It was granted city status in 1992, the Ruby Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II 's accession to the throne. The borough had a population of 575,400 at the time of the 2011 census, with the majority of the population (274,286) residing in Sunderland, making it
15104-483: Was founded by Sir Fabian Ware and constituted through royal charter in 1917 as the Imperial War Graves Commission . The change to the present name took place in 1960. The commission, as part of its mandate, is responsible for commemorating all Commonwealth war dead individually and equally. To this end, the war dead are commemorated by a name on a headstone, at an identified site of a burial, or on
15232-479: Was identified in 2013 after a visitor to Marfaux British Cemetery discovered a headstone of an unknown sergeant with the Hampshire Regiment killed on 20 July 1918, and was subsequently able to show that only one sergeant from that regiment had been killed in France on that date. As of July 2022, the In From The Cold Project has so far identified 7,255 individuals with either unmarked graves or names missing from
15360-430: Was in more plentiful supply. In Struma Military Cemetery, in Greece, to avoid risk of earthquake damage, small headstones are laid flush to the ground. Due to their smaller size, the markers often lack unit insignia. Commission cemeteries are distinctive in treating floriculture as an integral part of the cemetery design. Originally, the horticultural concept was to create an environment where visitors could experience
15488-416: Was in turn defeated by him in 2004. The Conservative party made further significant gains in the 2008 election , gaining five additional seats. The election in 2010 , held at the same time as the general election saw Labour gain four seats to increase their majority. In the 2011 local elections Labour gained a further four seats from the Conservatives. After the 2015 General election the composition of
15616-416: Was mainly due to the migration of people to the area seeking work at the new Silksworth colliery. According to the census returns the miners came from Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall and even from the United States and Germany. The miners and their families had moved to the colliery areas seeking employment and also colliery housing was provided for the miners by the mine owner Lord Londonderry . The miner's life
15744-458: Was no longer appropriate. In the spirit of strengthening national and regional feelings the organization changed its name to Commonwealth War Graves Commission in 1960. More recent conflicts have sometimes made it impossible for the commission to care for cemeteries in a given region or resulted in the destruction of sites altogether. Zehrensdorf Indian Cemetery in Germany was unkempt after the end of
15872-451: Was not an easy one, working conditions underground were very dangerous and the work very arduous. When Silksworth Colliery eventually closed in 1971 it was a massive blow to the local community as many of the local people and businesses relied on the colliery for their livelihood. Just about all remnants of the former Silksworth colliery have now gone, and the former mine site has since been converted into Silksworth Sports Complex. Facilities at
16000-510: Was of Roker Park for 99 years beginning in 1898, with relocation taking place due to the stadium's confined location and the need to build an all-seater stadium. The initial relocation plan had been for a stadium to be situated alongside the Nissan factory, but these were abandoned in favour of the Stadium of Light at Monkwearmouth on the site of a colliery that had closed at the end of 1993. Since
16128-633: Was the first memorial to the missing located in Europe to be completed, and was unveiled on 24 July 1927. The Menin Gate (Menenpoort) was found to have insufficient space to contain all the names as originally planned and 34,984 names of the missing were instead inscribed on Herbert Baker's Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing . Other memorials followed: the Helles Memorial in Gallipoli designed by John James Burnet ;
16256-404: Was the first new Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in more than 50 years, the last such cemeteries having been built after the Second World War. The commission is currently responsible for the continued commemoration of 1.7 million deceased Commonwealth military service members in 153 countries and approximately 67,000 civilians who died as a result of enemy action during
16384-531: Was too old, at age 45, to join the British Army. He used the influence of Rio Tinto chairman, Viscount Milner , to become the commander of a mobile unit of the British Red Cross . He arrived in France in September 1914 and whilst there was struck by the lack of any official mechanism for documenting or marking the location of graves of those who had been killed and felt compelled to create an organisation within
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