Portland Royal Naval Cemetery

From the Commonwealth War Graves Commission:

The Isle of Portland, four miles south of Weymouth, famous for its oolitic limestone called Portland Stone which is extensively quarried, is actually a peninsula connected with the mainland by a long narrow ridge of shingle called Chesil Bank. The site was formerly part of a Naval base. The burial ground lies on the northern slope of Portland Bill, three-quarters of a mile due east of Portland railway station.

It is divided into three parts, Church of England, Roman Catholic and Non-Conformist, and contains war graves of both World Wars.

The 1914-1918 burials number 65, of which 5 are unidentified, and after the war a Cross of Sacrifice was erected to commemorate these men near the southern wall of the western part overlooking the harbour. Most of the 1939-1945 War graves are together in the Church of England section, near the Cross of Sacrifice. There are in all 103 burials, of which 10 are unidentified, 1 is a Norwegian Merchant Navy seaman and 12 are German airmen. In addition, there is a 1914-18 war Special Memorial to a casualty buried in Portland (St. George) Churchyard. See here for more information. 153 Casualties.

Photos below are © M Betts and Family Grows on Trees. All rights reserved. Please click on each one for a larger size.

 

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