The Sandbag Times Issue No:14

The noble art of Taphophilia
The definition of Taphophilia is:
“an abnormal love for funerals, graves, and cemeterie”
and I have had a great interest in Military cemeteries for
many years having visited them in India, Israel, Italy,
France, Greece, Crete, Malta, Germany, Belgium, the
Netherlands, the USA and the UK.
Whenever I travel, I always try and spend time with the
boys and girls admiring the care and attention spent on
those little corners of the United Kingdom in faraway
places. Each cemetery tells its own story, some from a
battle nearby, some from the location of a Field
Hospital and some as a national memorial to the fallen.
Look for the Cross of Sacrifice, designed by Sir
Reginald Blomfield, and for some of the 1,700,000
Portland stone memorials and find the Visitors book
and leave a note, it will be appreciated by those whose
relatives lie here.
seven graves can be a Lancaster crew, a group of four can be a
tank crew, and my mother’s first husband is buried in a small
cluster of three with his boss, the driver, and spaced a little
away, the “shotgun” who died the next day.
Recently I discovered the Commonwealth War Graves
Commission App which allows you to find nearby
cemeteries, or to search for them by location so you can
discover ones where you plan to travel. Occasionally I
have passed the distinctive khaki and white signs when
travelling and then had to convince my host that yes, I
really would like to spend some time with the boys,
contemplating and then leaving a small note in the
Visitors book.
Each time I visit I learn something new, a cluster of
Some cemeteries include fallen enemies, one in Haifa, Israel
has one German grave, possibly a British double agent and
Scampton has eight German airman buried there in a small
plot near the front. I have had the privilege of visiting Pearl
Harbour and was on the USS Arizona when a group of
Japanese tourists arrived, and dropped their garlands into the
water, we later found out they were from the squadron that
bombed the ship, very emotional and moving. We also
visited Arlington National Cemetery in 2005 and the near
constant volleys of gun salutes showed the cost of the Gulf and
Afghanistan campaigns. My wife was intrigued as to why a
cowboy was buried there, until it was pointed out that Audie
Murphy was a Medal of Honor recipient, it did raise a smile.
So next time you are out on your travels use the CWGC App
and find a cemetery and go and spend some time with the
boys and girls and share in the atmosphere, it can be an
interesting experience and you too can become a military
taphophile.