Commonwealth War Graves St. Nicholas Churchyard

St. Nicholas Churchyard contains 106 Commonwealth war graves from the First World War and 3 from the Second World War.

Brockenhurst became the home of No 1 New Zealand General Hospital in 1916 when it moved from Egypt. Several local hotels were taken over as part of the hospital and during 1918 there were up to 1600 casualties being treated. During it's period of operation 1916-19 over 20,000 patients were treated at Brockenhurst. Of the 106 graves within the CWGC cemetery, 93 are New Zealand forces.
Prior to it's occupation by the New Zealand Medical Corps, the hospital had been the Lady Hardinge Hospital for Indian Soldiers. In the cemetery are 3 Indian graves including one for Sukra, a low-caste born Indian from Uttar Pradesh who served as a cleaner in army camps in France and at the Lady Hardinge Hospital. He died of pneumonia on 12th January 1915, aged 30. As an 'untouchable' he could not be cremated at Patcham, nor could he be buried in the Muslim burial ground at Woking as he was a Hindu. The then vicar of St Nicholas ruled he should be buried in Brockenhurst as he had died for England.

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Source

• Text: Fedor de Vries
• Photos: Anthony (Sharky) Ward