“Their Last Resting Place”: Foundations of Graves Work

Abstract

Beginning in May 1917, the Imperial War Graves Commission aimed to commemorate in perpetuity those who had died in service of the British Empire in World War I (WWI). This mammoth task, continued to this day, was solemnly shared by member countries of the Empire, including Australia. In this chapter, we explain how the unprecedented industrialised warfare of WWI resulted in an enormous loss-of-life (military and civilian) for all nations involved, in a relative short period of time, and in a manner that had never been experienced previously. The logistical, physical, and emotional problems that the huge number of dead created, however, gave rise to contemporary graves practices, and ultimately the Imperial War Graves Commission.