Princess Royal backs effort to restore military graves

Appointment as patron of The Remembrance Trust will raise profile as it looks to save pre-1914 memorials

THE Princess Royal has become the first patron of a charity that is aiming to find and restore long abandoned military graves.

The Remembrance Trust aims to preserve the memory of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, returning graves and memorials to their former glory while creating a database spanning more than 200 years.

It is no mean task, with a remit covering an undefined period up until 1914.

Algy Cluff, the charity’s founder and chairman, said the Princess Royal was the “best royal” for the job, given her interest in naval, military and heritage matters, and said he was “delighted” she had agreed to be their figurehead.

“If you’re killed from 1914 onwards your grave is kept immaculately by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, which is funded by the Commonwealth governments. Whereas if you were killed before 1914 you are no one’s responsibility at all,” he said. “No one’s looking after these graves, which is really a bit of a scandal, actually.”

As such, Mr Cluff, 80, a former Captain in the Grenadier Guards, set about plugging a hole in the nation’s history books.

Having only got under way last year, following several months of fundraising, the organisation already has its work cut out. “There’s an awful lot for us to do,” Mr Cluff said.

“To give you one example of what we are doing now, we are restoring the graves of 12 winners of the Victoria Cross who are buried in one cemetery alone, Brompton Cemetery in London, and no one looks after them.”

The trust is also about to start assisting in the renovation of the military cemetery at Shorncliffe, near Hythe in Kent, which conceals tales of decades of military history and boasts the graves of three Victoria Cross soldiers. “It’s a jungle, it’s a disgrace,” said Mr Cluff.

While Mr Cluff spent the best part of a year raising money, he needs more. “We don’t get any help from the government,” he said.

The trust has partnered with former soldier Steve Davies, 63, a self taught military grave restorer and Army veteran. He has restored more than 150 graves and was put in touch with Mr Cluff around six months ago.

“All I want to do is get this right,” Mr Davies said. “No matter what your political persuasion, it’s unbelievable that 12 Victoria Cross holders are buried in a scruffy little corner in Brompton Cemetery, unknown about and unloved.”

The Princess Royal was brought on board after supporting the trust at an event in June, when she unveiled a memorial at St Saviour’s Church in Jersey honouring 75 veterans of the Napoleonic Wars. That she agreed to become patron was a “tremendous” feather in the cap for the charity, he said, one that he hopes will help to raise the profile of its work.