Location
Historic West Terrace Cemetery dates back to European settlement of South Australia and is one of the nation's oldest operating cemeteries, located on the western edge of the cities outskirts and a short walk from the CBD.
History
West Terrace Cemetery has been a feature of Adelaide since Colonel William Light identified its location in his 1837 plan for the city. Since then more than 150,000 souls have been laid to rest at the cemetery bringing together the many threads of our State's rich heritage in one place.
Among the endless rows of 19th century marble and slate headstones are the graves of many leading political, religious, social and business figures, as well as those of a wide range of people whose lives have enriched the history and development of the State.
Within its boundaries lies the AIF Cemetery and the related Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery (CWGC) section, with a prominent Cross of Sacrifice as its focus. The CWGC cemetery contains 268 graves of service personnel who died in service, generally of wounds, in the nearby Keswick Barracks military hospital.
The AIF Cemetery contains the graves of more than 4,000 ex-service personnel, including four Victoria Cross winners from WW I.
• Brigadier Arthur Blackburn VC, CMG,ED (/explore/people/930) (formerly of 'Blackforce', Java WW2 (/explore/units/369), 2/3rd Machine Gun Battalion WW2 (/explore/units/367) and 10th Battalion AIF WW1 (/explore/units/1))
• Corporal Reginald 'Roy' Inwood, VC (/explore/people/44803) 10th Battalion AIF
• Cororal Phil Davey, VC, MM (/explore/people/116325), 10th Battalion AIF
• Corporal Jorgen Jensen, VC, (/explore/people/26239) 50th Battalion AIF (/explore/units/6)
The West Terrace Cemetery recently marked its 175th anniversary. This occasion was celebrated with an extensive program of community events and activities.
Soon it will be the Centenary of the AIF section of the Cemetery coincident with the Centenary of ANZAC Commemorations.
Visitors can also discover the history of West Terrace Cemetery on one of the regular guided walking tours or by following the award winning self-guided Heritage Highlights interpretive trail.
Steve Larkins January 2013
