The Boer Cemetery near Bandarawela, Ceylon 1903

5 thoughts on “The Boer Cemetery near Bandarawela, Ceylon 1903”

1. I visited Diyatalawa recently and unfortunately this Cemetery was destroyed a long time ago to make way for a Firing Range for the Armed Forces. A sacriligious act I suggest.
   As a collector of POW memorabilia I am keen to purchase items made by the POW’s from ALL POW Boer War Camps in South Africa, St Helena, Ceylon, India and Bermuda together with photos and other ephemera.
   These would feature in my book ” Captivated Carvings –The story of POW Art” and any additional information that can be provided about the POW, family, military background etc would be appreciated. Thank you.

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2. Greetings from South Australia.
   My Grandfather was detatched from the British Artillery to served as a guard on Boer P.O.W.s.
   Can you tell me who holds the records on this subject. Your advice and assistance would be much appreciated.
   regards,
   John C. Hinds.

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3. It might be of interest to Mr. Robin Woodruff that although this cemetry is no more – it is quite possible that “The Army Graves Service transferred war graves from Diyatalawa Boer Military Cemetery to the Commenwealth War Cemetery at Pitakanda in Kandy” according to the following article.

   http://www.lankalibrary.com/geo/warcemeteries.htm

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4. As a child I spent days on holiday atthe Survey CampDiayatalawa when myn father was in the Survey Department. I had been taken by my father to the grave yards. I remeber the sadness of some of the dead who were quite young. I also remeber Fox Hill which I think was a white image of a fox on the hill side made by the inmates, and then visible from the train on its way into Diyatalawa. On a recent visit, 2005, I wasa told that the cemetry was within the Army base nad not accesible to visitors.
   I also knew of a Boer cemetry in Pettah, near the roundabout. The tombstones were on a wall next to a car park. I think it was on a side road leading onto the Hunters Building, I forget the street name.

   I am interested in any information that could be provided of the inmates please.

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5. Roshan, I visited the Kandy Commenwealth War Cemetery in December 2016, and there were no Boer graves. Quite a few websites repeat the fallacy that the Boers were moved there, but I checked each grave, and I’m 100% sure.
   Quite sad that the Boer graves just disappeared.

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