Galicia
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is weighing up the assignment for the Vilagarcía historical holy ground at created in 1910 in Rubiáns (Galicia)
Jan 3, 2018 - 12:13 PM
‘The English cemetery could no longer be British’
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) is weighing up the assignment for the Vilagarcía historical holy ground at created in 1910 in Rubiáns (Galicia)
Jan 3, 2018 - 12:13 PM
Nothing to do about Brexit, or may have been aroused by the creation of such a new word, which obeys the logic of passing times. So much so, 107 long years.
The British Naval Cemetery in Rubiáns was created in 1910 by order of the United Kingdom vice counsel in Carril (Galicia) Reginald Cameron-Walker. His objective was to create a holy ground for the British marines, mostly protestants, where they can be safely honoured and buried from fighting every year, during six decades, that the Royal Navy carried out manoeuvres in the Arousa river.
Now, this small spot of British land in Vilagarcía could no longer be so if it is classified as municipal patronage. So confirmed the Honorary Supervisor of the Commonwealths War Graves Commission in Spain and Portugal, Bruce A. McIntyre: ‘In my role as supervisor, I didn’t take the decision, but I commented the possibility to be considered’
The idea arose during one of the last visits by McIntyre ‘I thought it was a very interesting proposal and that the idea is really good. The local authority of Vilagarcía to take care of the upkeep on the monument safeguarding the names of all the deceased, in exchange for ownership on the proviso for its opening to the public’ he indicated.
In reality the Commonwealths War Graves Commission was born in 1917, after the British Naval Cemetery at Rubiáns opened the doors. ‘Truly the Vilagarcía is a singular cemetery, because the Commission thought it had been created to host the tombs of the fallen soldiers during the First and Second World Wars; but it was already Naval and working, as so was dually integrated into the CWGC’
The peculiarity of the place, is one of management. The Graves Commission has the responsibilities to replace or conserve the gravestones in the cemeteries they have created. The graves in Vilagarcía are however personal by nature ‘created by friends and companions of the deceased who collect the funds for the gravestones, and not the CWGC.
However, the garden has always been maintained locally by Ramón Rebolo, a municipal gardener who has for decades been maintaining the site, as his father before, and as his son did when I retired eight years ago.
‘The last time I was in Vilagarcía was in October, and the garden and vegetables were in a good condition. Of course, some of the graves are showing signs of deterioration as some are more than 100 years old’ recognised McIntyre.
‘We have to take into account that in Portugal we have around forty graves and Spain they are in Bilbao, Barcelona, Figueras, Mataró, Málaga, Sagres and Madrid, so we routinely we have to monitor their state.
Ahead of the final decision ‘I understand that the British Ministry of Defence purchased the land, hence it remains British land’ – the current cemetery remains essentially English for the melancholier atmosphere, a relic of the past.
The British Naval Cemetery in Rubiáns was created in 1910 by order of the United Kingdom vice counsel in Carril (Galicia) Reginald Cameron-Walker. His objective was to create a holy ground for the British marines, mostly protestants, where they can be safely honoured and buried from fighting every year, during six decades, that the Royal Navy carried out manoeuvres in the Arousa river.
Now, this small spot of British land in Vilagarcía could no longer be so if it is classified as municipal patronage. So confirmed the Honorary Supervisor of the Commonwealths War Graves Commission in Spain and Portugal, Bruce A. McIntyre: ‘In my role as supervisor, I didn’t take the decision, but I commented the possibility to be considered’
The idea arose during one of the last visits by McIntyre ‘I thought it was a very interesting proposal and that the idea is really good. The local authority of Vilagarcía to take care of the upkeep on the monument safeguarding the names of all the deceased, in exchange for ownership on the proviso for its opening to the public’ he indicated.
In reality the Commonwealths War Graves Commission was born in 1917, after the British Naval Cemetery at Rubiáns opened the doors. ‘Truly the Vilagarcía is a singular cemetery, because the Commission thought it had been created to host the tombs of the fallen soldiers during the First and Second World Wars; but it was already Naval and working, as so was dually integrated into the CWGC’
The peculiarity of the place, is one of management. The Graves Commission has the responsibilities to replace or conserve the gravestones in the cemeteries they have created. The graves in Vilagarcía are however personal by nature ‘created by friends and companions of the deceased who collect the funds for the gravestones, and not the CWGC.
However, the garden has always been maintained locally by Ramón Rebolo, a municipal gardener who has for decades been maintaining the site, as his father before, and as his son did when I retired eight years ago.
‘The last time I was in Vilagarcía was in October, and the garden and vegetables were in a good condition. Of course, some of the graves are showing signs of deterioration as some are more than 100 years old’ recognised McIntyre.
‘We have to take into account that in Portugal we have around forty graves and Spain they are in Bilbao, Barcelona, Figueras, Mataró, Málaga, Sagres and Madrid, so we routinely we have to monitor their state.
Ahead of the final decision ‘I understand that the British Ministry of Defence purchased the land, hence it remains British land’ – the current cemetery remains essentially English for the melancholier atmosphere, a relic of the past.
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