Attraction

Trincomalee War Cemetary

In order to understand the significance of this cemetery, you must know a story, a story of bravery and valour. The roots for this story starts during ancient times when the Trincomalee was a famous seaport. Trincomalee was home to a natural harbour which was placed at a strategic location. When the nation came under the rule of the British they took advantage of the site and had established it as one of their naval bases in the Indian Ocean. During the Second World War, being a strategic point to deploy forces and to manage supplies, the Trincomalee Harbour was designated as an Air-Force & Naval Base of the British and Allied Powers. After Singapore fell, the Trincomalee harbour became the primary naval base which had the importance of managing supplies to the forces and maintaining shipping in the Indian Ocean. As an unfortunate turn of events, the Trincomalee harbour was attacked by the Japanese on April 9th, 1942. During the attack, A warship and several structures and vessels at the site that belonged to the British forces were destroyed. The attack took the lives of 368 brave soldiers and injured many.

The War Cemetary remains the final resting ground for many lives that were lost during this dreadful day! Several years after the incident, Sri Lanka gained independence from the British, and after the United Kingdom withdrew their Forces from the island the cemetery became the property of the Sri Lankan Government, who then granted the British ownership of the cemetery. Today the maintenance of the site is undertaken as a joint effort of the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence and the British Government. Marked by tombstones with engravings of the names of the soldiers and the divisions they served, the Cemetery contains remains of 364 people who were soldiers, merchants and employees who were from Britain, India, Ceylon, France, Canada, New Zealand, Italy, Holland, Africa, Pakistan, and Burma.

Tourists are allowed to see the graves, and even though the site is immaculate and well-maintained even better than most of the country’s gardens and parks, an air of sadness fills the region. The site enlightened you about the darkness that followed every war, and teaches you how mankind should not let a dark history repeat itself!

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