Alexandria (Hadra) War Memorial Cemetery, Egypt

Cemetery Details

Location Sharia Manara, Alexandria, Egypt
Co‑ordinates N31.20378, E29.92303
Description

Location

Hadra is a district on the eastern side of Alexandria and is south of the main carriageway to Aboukir, known as Al Horaya, near the University of Alexandria. The Cemetery is on the road Sharia Manara. The junction of this road and Al Horaya is diagonally opposite the University of Alexandria.

Opening Times

Saturday to Thursday 7.00 am to 2.30 pm

Friday: Closed

Outside these hours the cemetery is locked. 

History

In March 1915, the base of the Mediterranean Expeditionary Force was transferred to Alexandria from Mudros and the city became a camp and hospital centre for Commonwealth and French troops. Among the medical units established there were the 17th, 19th, 21st, 78th and 87th General Hospitals and No 5 Indian Hospital.

After the Gallipoli campaign of 1915, Alexandria remained an important hospital centre during later operations in Egypt and Palestine and the port was much used by hospital ships and troop transports bringing reinforcements and carrying the sick and wounded out of the theatres of war.

This cemetery was begun in April 1916 when it was realised that the cemetery at Chatby would not be large enough. Most of the burials were made from the Alexandria hospitals, but a number of graves of December 1917 were due to the loss of the troop transports "Aragon" and "Osmanieh" which were sunk by torpedo and mine as they entered the port.

The cemetery continued in use until December 1919 but later, some graves were brought in from small burial grounds in the western desert, Maadia and Rosetta. During the Second World War, Alexandria was again an important hospital centre, taking casualties from campaigns in the Western Desert, Greece, Crete, the Aegean Islands and the Mediterranean.

Rest camps and hostels were also established there together with a powerful anti-aircraft base. Alexandria was also the communications centre for the Middle and Near East and became the headquarters of the Military Police.

The cemetery at Hadra was extended for Second World War burials and was used from 1941. There are now 1,700 First World War burials in the cemetery and 1,305 from the Second World War. The cemetery also contains war graves of other nationalities and some non-war burials.

Notable Figures

Corporal Edward John Brown MID (/explore/people/312958)

Company Sergeant Major Henry Victor Hedger MID (/explore/people/72184)

Major James Murray Morish Nicholls MID (/explore/people/610080)

Flight Lieutenant Harold Rowland Rowlands DFC (/explore/people/645650)

Battery Sergeant Major Ernest George Horlock VC  (www.findagrave.com)

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Names

Showing 8 people of interest from cemetery

ECCLESTON, Wallace Lanvel

Service number NX36225
Private
2nd/17th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 13 Nov 1919

COSGRAVE, Thomas Bernard

Service number SX13162
Private
2nd/48th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 28 Apr 1918

DAY, Henry Stuart

Service number WX3273
Corporal
2nd/28th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 16 Jan 1914

COMPTON, Albert Charles

Service number 6722
Private
2nd Infantry Battalion
AIF WW1
Born 16 Feb 1885

CARR, William Henry

Service number 1642
Lance Corporal
Born 21 Feb 1893

CURTIS, Allan Leonard

Service number NX37439
Private
2nd/13th Infantry Battalion
Australian Military Forces (WW2)
Born 11 Jul 1908

SCOTT, Lawrence Kerr

Service number 410566
Flight Sergeant
1 (Middle East) Training School RAF
Royal Australian Air Force
Born 9 Oct 1919

ADAMS, Athol Gladwyn

Service number OFFICER
Lieutenant
No. 1 Squadron
Australian Flying Corps
AIF WW1
Born 17 May 1894

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