Brookwood: Familial Connection and Personal Revelation

21 March 2017
Vilseck, Germany

Since returning to Germany and the rigors of everyday work at the end of my battlefield tour in December, I have been working to focus on what is next. I have quite a few big ideas where to go in my search for stories and understanding as it relates to the battlefields of Europe and their influence on our world today. I am still developing these into research opportunities and travel adventures. In January I took my family to England. I had previously traveled to London for the typical sightseeing adventure. This trip evolved into something much more though...it became personal.

My mother in law is a native of Canada. She never met her uncle. He was a member of the Canadian forces fighting for the British Commonwealth, who was killed by a German bomb during the Battle of Britain during World War II. His story has been passed down through the family and made its way to Julie and myself. The American concept of a burial "on home soil" is something to which most countries cannot relate. In fact it was not until the conflict in Korea that it became standards for American Soldier Dead to be returned home. For the rest of the world, it is more recent-- less than 40 years. My mother in law tells me that it was a point of sadness for her family that her uncle was not afforded a return to Canada. This is something that I will explore extensively in a later post.

When Julie and I began planning our trip to London we looked up the location where Vincent Voakes was killed. That precise location is now the edge of the 4th fairway of a local golf club. In fact there is a monument at that location. Instead we chose to visit the cemetery where he is buried, not far from the golf course. We realized that a train ticket and a quick 30 minute train ride was all it would take to pay our respects.

We left Waterloo Station in London and 30 minutes later we arrived at Brookwood. Immediately out of the train depot was a civilian cemetery. There was quite a bit of wealth on display with ornate design and sculptures adorning rather unique burial plots. Adjacent to the civilian cemetery is the Brookwood American Cemetery.

Flagpole at Brookwood American Cemetery
in Brookwood, England.

Most American Battle Monument Commission cemeteries are located in isolated areas away from cities or other developments. In this case, the location between the British civilian cemetery and the Commonwealth cemetery seemed quite appropriate, given the exceptionally close ties that bind our nations and ideals.

The graves are laid out in 4 geographically symmetrical plots with a flag pole in the middle and a chapel at the front. There are 468 burial plots at Brookwood American Cemetery. These are Soldier Dead of World War I; primarily losses in the North Atlantic. Inscribed on the walls inside the chapel are the names of 563 Missing in Action. The number of missing is a higher proportion because many lost in transport ships were trapped inside when they sank and they were never recovered.

The small but inviting chapel provides a great
location for reflection and prayers. The stained
glass windows light the flags of allied nations.

This is the second smallest of the American cemeteries I have visited in Europe. It is similar in size to Flanders Field American Cemetery in Belgium. But the small size seems to makes it more special, in my opinion. I find great comfort in knowing that though not a tourist attraction like Normandy or Luxembourg, these Americans lie together in eternal peace in a small corner of a friendly allied nation that will forever appreciate their sacrifices and care for them with the same care that they have for their own fallen.

Moving on from the American cemetery was the Brookwood Commonwealth Cemetery. The British military cemeteries are operated by the Commonwealth Graves Commission. They have a similar mission to the American Battle Monuments Commission, however they care for the graves of fallen service members from all nations that belonged to the British Empire. During World War I and II this included Canada, New Zealand, India, Australia and South Africa among many others. So Brookwood includes burials from all of these nations. I would imagine that to the British at the time it would not be much different than Americans from Texas and Michigan sharing a cemetery.

Brookwood Commonwealth Cemetery, England.

We proceeded to the informative visitor center that provided quite a bit of information about the history of the Cemetery, including commemoration of a visit by Queen Elizabeth II. We found a registry that noted the location of Vincent J. Voakes, Julie's great-uncle. We proceeded down the center aisle, the crackle of fresh winter snow providing a contrast to the otherwise silent January morning.

Amusingly, we actually stumbled upon his grave as we walked towards the front of the cemetery. I guess we expected a little bit of a search, but how quick it came up on us caught us off guard. He is buried right along the center mall and as we walked the name just popped off the stone marker.

Below you can use Google Maps to travel through Brookwood Cemetery. Vincent's grave to to the immediate bottom right.


We enjoyed a good discussion about the design and composition of the Commonwealth cemetery in
relation to the American cemeteries of WWI and WWII that we have frequented. They are all very special and each one provides a unique experience. It is a point of pride to visit these places and pay respects. As mentioned above, I have visited the graves of more than a million soldiers in the last few months. I will likely double that number in the near future. But the emotion is always the same. Pride in the sacrifice of my fellow countrymen, and our allies.

At the same time I have a certain respect when visiting the cemeteries of our (one time) enemies as well. After all they were soldiers just like I am. They may have even had families and small children too. They were following their orders that brought them into horrific conflict and eventual death. If I have learned anything during this experience, it is that there is a common thread that binds all soldiers whether by direct relation, marriage, or simply sharing the battlefield.

Thanks for reading!